Communications of the ACM
An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.
From ACM News
'They Couldn't Even Scream Any More. They Were Just Sobbing': The Amateur Investors Ruined by the Crypto Crash
Fuelled by hype and hysteria, the market in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies went from an obscure niche to a $3-trillion industry. Then the house of cards collapsed...
From ACM News
I Am Not a Robot: iOS Verification Update Marks End of 'Captchas'
Tests where you are asked to spot traffic lights or type out wobbly letters may be a thing of the past.
From ACM TechNews
Drone Operators Who Halted Russian Convoy Headed for Kyiv
A Russian armored convey headed toward Kyiv was halted by night ambushes by Ukrainian special forces and drone operators who are part of an air reconnaissance unit...
From ACM TechNews
Seconds Before Earthquake Rattled California, Phones Got Vital Warning
An early-alert system managed by the U.S. Geological Survey on Monday warned Californians of a 6.2-magnitude earthquake by phone, seconds before it struck.
From ACM TechNews
Drones Join Fight to Save New Zealand's Rarest Dolphin
The nonprofit MAUI63 organization hopes to preserve New Zealand's endangered Maui dolphin with an aerial drone.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Create 3D-Printed Buildings From Soil
Texas A&M University researchers have come up with a technique for using a three-dimensional printer to build greener buildings from soil.
From ACM News
China Hacking Poses 'Significant Threat' to U.S. Covid-19 Response, Says FBI
Organizations conducting research into Covid-19 may be targeted by computer hackers linked to the Chinese government, according to the FBI and the U.S. Department...
From ACM TechNews
Smile-to-Pay: Chinese Shoppers Turn to Facial Payment Technology
China is embracing facial payment technology, which allows consumers to purchase goods simply by posing in front of point-of-sale machines equipped with cameras...
From ACM TechNews
Google's Drone Delivery Business Wins Approval in Canberra
Project Wing, a branch of Google parent Alphabet, has received approval from Australia's aviation regulator to deploy its drone delivery service for the city of...
From ACM News
Holograms: Are They Still the Preserve of Science Fiction?
The fragile apparition endured only long enough to say: "Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope" before flickering out.
From ACM News
What Is GDPR and How Will It Affect You?
You could be forgiven for thinking that Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a law created to fill your inbox with identikit warnings from every...
From ACM News
Has Dopamine Got s Hooked on Tech?
In an unprecedented attack of candour, Sean Parker, the 38-year-old founding president of Facebook, recently admitted that the social network was founded not to...
From ACM News
Blockchain Is This Year's Buzzword, But Can It Outlive the Hype?
The speculation around cryptocurrencies has obscured the fact that blockchain, the decentralised, open-source ledger that drives bitcoin, could radically change...
From ACM News
Strava Suggests Military sers 'opt Out' of Heatmap as Row Deepens
Fitness-tracking company Strava has defended its publication of heatmaps that accidentally reveal sensitive military positions, arguing that the information was...
From ACM Careers
End of the Checkout Line: The Looming Crisis For American Cashiers
The day before a fully automated grocery store opened its doors in 1939, the inventor Clarence Saunders took out a full page advertisement in the Memphis Press-Scimitar...
From ACM TechNews
'anonymous' Browsing Data Can Be Easily Exposed, Researchers Reveal
A German journalist and data scientist say they were able to easily obtain the "anonymous" online browsing information of more than 3 million Germans.
From ACM TechNews
Tim Berners-Lee: I Invented the Web. Here Are Three Things We Need to Change to Save It
World Wide Web pioneer Sir Tim Berners-Lee warns of three trends to be overcome in order to sustain the Web as beneficial for everyone.
From ACM TechNews
Vanishing Point: The Rise of the Invisible Computer
Experts agree the steady advances of computer chip transistor shrinkage--faster chip speeds, greater efficiency, and less-expensive manufacturing--will soon reach...
From ACM News
Give Robots 'personhood' Status, Eu Committee Argues
The European parliament has urged the drafting of a set of regulations to govern the use and creation of robots and artificial intelligence, including a form of...
From ACM News