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dateMore Than a Year Ago
subjectHuman Computer Interaction
authorThe Washington Post
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An edited collection of advanced computing news from Communications of the ACM, ACM TechNews, other ACM resources, and news sites around the Web.


Tech to Contain Coronavirus on College Campuses Sparks Fresh Privacy Concerns
From ACM TechNews

Tech to Contain Coronavirus on College Campuses Sparks Fresh Privacy Concerns

U.S. colleges are racing to contain the Covid-19 pandemic with technology including contact-tracing applications and facial recognition, prompting concerns about...

No Masks, No Coughs: Robots Can Be Just What the Doctor Ordered in Time of Social Distancing
From ACM TechNews

No Masks, No Coughs: Robots Can Be Just What the Doctor Ordered in Time of Social Distancing

In Japan, a country with a long fascination with robots, automated assistants have become bartenders, security guards, deliverymen, and more, since the onset of...

Virtual Try-Ons Replacing Fitting Rooms During the Pandemic
From ACM TechNews

Virtual Try-Ons Replacing Fitting Rooms During the Pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has spurred consumers to substitute fitting rooms with augmented reality using their smartphones and computers.

Study Reveals Extent of Hate Speech on Reddit in Right-Leaning Forums
From ACM TechNews

Study Reveals Extent of Hate Speech on Reddit in Right-Leaning Forums

A new study found that more comment moderation is necessary to curtail racist and white supremacist content on Reddit.

Elite CIA Unit that Developed Hacking Tools Failed to Secure its Own Systems, Allowing Massive Leak
From ACM News

Elite CIA Unit that Developed Hacking Tools Failed to Secure its Own Systems, Allowing Massive Leak

The breach came nearly three years after Edward Snowden stole and disclosed classified information about NSA surveillance operations.

NYU Report Calls On Social Media Titans to Stop Outsourcing Content Moderation
From ACM TechNews

NYU Report Calls On Social Media Titans to Stop Outsourcing Content Moderation

A New York University report urges social media companies to stop outsourcing the moderation of their content.

Arizona Sues Google Over Allegations It Illegally Tracked Android Smartphone Users' Locations
From ACM TechNews

Arizona Sues Google Over Allegations It Illegally Tracked Android Smartphone Users' Locations

Arizona has filed a lawsuit against Google for allegedly monitoring the locations of Android smartphone users even when such features purportedly were disabled,...

Companies' Use of Thermal Cameras to Speed Return to Work Sparks Worries About Civil Liberties
From ACM TechNews

Companies' Use of Thermal Cameras to Speed Return to Work Sparks Worries About Civil Liberties

Thermal imaging may be used to identify those suspected of having the coronavirus, but civil liberties experts warn such systems will monitor some who may not know...

Silicon Valley is Racing to Build the Next Version of the Internet. Fortnite Might Get There First.
From ACM News

Silicon Valley is Racing to Build the Next Version of the Internet. Fortnite Might Get There First.

In recent years, there's been serious talk about how to build the Metaverse, the next version of the Internet, and who will build it first.

With Coronavirus Closing Schools, Here's How Video Games are Helping Teachers
From ACM TechNews

With Coronavirus Closing Schools, Here's How Video Games are Helping Teachers

The quarantine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted teachers to utilize popular video games to conduct lessons on a range of topics.

Your Internet is Working. Thank These Cold War-era Pioneers who Designed it to Handle Almost Anything
From ACM News

Your Internet is Working. Thank These Cold War-era Pioneers who Designed it to Handle Almost Anything

Coronavirus may have forced people to stay at home, but the Internet these scientists envisioned long ago is keeping the world connected.

Facebook Sent Home Thousands of Human Moderators Due to the Coronavirus. Now the Algorithms Are in Charge
From ACM TechNews

Facebook Sent Home Thousands of Human Moderators Due to the Coronavirus. Now the Algorithms Are in Charge

Facebook has placed its army of human moderators on paid leave, forcing the company to police disinformation without them.

Millions of Tweets Peddled Conspiracy Theories About Coronavirus in Other Countries, an Unpublished U.S. Report Says
From ACM TechNews

Millions of Tweets Peddled Conspiracy Theories About Coronavirus in Other Countries, an Unpublished U.S. Report Says

An unpublished U.S. State Department study estimated that about 2 million tweets promoted conspiracy theories about the coronavirus over the three-week period when...

NOAA to Triple Supercomputing Capacity in Bid to Dramatically Improve Forecast Accuracy
From ACM TechNews

NOAA to Triple Supercomputing Capacity in Bid to Dramatically Improve Forecast Accuracy

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has contracted for two new supercomputers, which would triple the organization's computing capacity.

ICE Has Run Facial Recognition Searches on Millions of Maryland Drivers
From ACM TechNews

ICE Has Run Facial Recognition Searches on Millions of Maryland Drivers

Maryland officials said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have run facial recognition searches on millions of state driver's license photos without...

Employers Adding High-Tech Solutions to Solve Low-Tech Problem: Getting More Sleep
From ACM TechNews

Employers Adding High-Tech Solutions to Solve Low-Tech Problem: Getting More Sleep

Employers are providing workers with high-tech tools to help them get more sleep, in the hope of improving productivity and reducing healthcare costs.

Google Redraws the Borders on Maps Depending on Who's Looking
From ACM TechNews

Google Redraws the Borders on Maps Depending on Who's Looking

Google and other online mapmakers revise borders depending on who is viewing them, in deference to diplomats, policymakers, and their own executives, according...

Facebook, Google and Twitter Scramble to Stop Misinformation About Coronavirus
From ACM TechNews

Facebook, Google and Twitter Scramble to Stop Misinformation About Coronavirus

Facebook, Google, and Twitter are struggling to prevent misinformation on their platforms about the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Pinterest Bans Misinformation About Voting, Census
From ACM TechNews

Pinterest Bans Misinformation About Voting, Census

The Pinterest platform has banned the posting of misleading information related to voting or the census.

Scientists Try to Help Congress Get Smarter About Tech
From ACM TechNews

Scientists Try to Help Congress Get Smarter About Tech

Government scientists and technologists are trying to help U.S. lawmakers become more technology-savvy.
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