Communications of the ACM
The news archive provides access to past news stories from Communications of the ACM and other sources by date.
June 2022
From ACM News
By Exploring Virtual Worlds, AI Learns in New Ways
Intelligent beings learn by interacting with the world. Artificial intelligence researchers have adopted a similar strategy to teach their virtual agents new skills.
From ACM TechNews
Scientists Emulate Nature in Quantum Leap Towards Future Computers
Scientists have constructed an atomic-scale silicon quantum processor to model the behavior of an organic molecule.
From ACM TechNews
Tech Companies Want More Eyes in the Sky for Wildfire Season
The growing threat of wildfires in the U.S. has created opportunities for technology companies offering artificial intelligence solutions to help bring them under control.
From ACM TechNews
Seventy-Five Percent of the World's Top Websites Allow Bad Passwords
Princeton University's Arvind Narayanan and colleagues found 75% of 120 top-ranked English-language websites permit weak passwords.
From ACM TechNews
Instagram Rolls Out Age Verification, but Not to Keep Children Off App
Photo- and video-sharing platform Instagram has started using age verification tools to prevent account holders under 18 years old from changing their ages to over 18.
From ACM News
Explained: Why Cyber Hygiene is Very Important
Microsoft India group head and director of government affairs Ashutosh Chadha said cybercrime costs economies more than $6 trillion (Rs. 4.6 crore crore) each year.
From ACM News
The Power and Pitfalls of AI for U.S. Intelligence
Artificial intelligence use is booming, but it's not the secret weapon you might imagine.
From ACM News
Immersive King Tut Exhibit Looks Beyond the Gold Mask
National Geographic Museum's virtual-reality experience opens up the Egyptian pharaoh's tomb.
From ACM News
Alexa Has a New Voice — Your Dead Relative's
Experts call the device's new feature a slippery slope, comparing it to an episode of 'Black Mirror'
From ACM News
Huge Step Forward in Quantum Computing Announced: The First-Ever Quantum Circuit
The latest invention follows the team's creation of the first ever quantum transistor in 2012.
From ACM News
How Students Are Scrubbing Their Social Media Profiles
A new service for students flags inappropriate or offensive posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so would-be employers can see them in the best possible light.
From ACM TechNews
Model Helps Identify Mutations That Drive Cancer
Researchers created a probabilistic computer model that rapidly scans the genome of cancer cells to identify cancer-driving mutations.
From ACM TechNews
Mega Says It Can't Decrypt Your Files. POC Exploit Shows Otherwise
A new report indicates Mega's file encryption architecture contains fundamental cryptography flaws enabling attackers to launch full key recovery attacks.
From ACM TechNews
How the Brain Prepares to Think
Researchers used the Texas Advanced Computing Center's Frontera supercomputer to probe the physics of thought activation in the brain.
From ACM TechNews
AI-Powered Archaeology Draws Out Hidden Evidence of Fire Use by Early Humans
Researchers used artificial intelligence to uncover evidence that ancient humans used fire at least 800,000 years ago at the Evron Quarry archaeological site in Western Galilee.
From ACM News
Do Kwon's Crypto Empire Fell in a $40 Billion Crash. He's Got a New Coin for You.
Luna's relaunch might be the ultimate act of chutzpah by the South Korean entrepreneur.
From ACM News
Twitter Apologizes for Abusing User Security Information After $150 million FTC settlement
n addition to the $150 million penalty, Twitter agreed to notify users that it misused the security data.
From ACM News
Cybercriminals Eye Biometrics
Biometric markers are increasingly popular targets of data theft, potentially endangering far more than your locally stored information.
From ACM News
The Avatars Wear Prada
And Balenciaga and Thom Browne. Meta opens a new fashion store for the metaverse. Should you shop?
From ACM News
Many Russian Cyberattacks Failed in First Months of Ukraine War, Study Says
A report published by Microsoft also found that Moscow's disinformation campaign to establish a narrative of the war favorable to Russia was doing better than expected.
From ACM News
California Grants First Permit to Test AVs Using Only Lidar Sensing
Vueron plans to unveil its next generation of Lidar AV platforms within the next few months.
From ACM News
'Privacy Doesn't Matter,' Screams the Microsoft Deal with DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo isn't as private as you think, facing criticism over its tracking agreement with Microsoft.
From ACM News
The Open Secret of Google Search
One of the most-used tools on the Internet is not what it used to be.
From ACM TechNews
Google Wants to Challenge AI with 200 Tasks, to Replace the Turing Test
Artificial intelligence researchers have proposed an update to the Turing test for rating the capabilities of AI technology.
From ACM TechNews
Meta Agrees to Alter Ad Technology in Settlement with U.S.
Meta agreed to change its advertising technology and to pay a penalty as part of a settlement over allegations it had discriminated against Facebook users.
From ACM TechNews
DARPA Report Finds Vulnerabilities in Blockchain Tech, Non-Secure Crypto Transactions
Researchers vetted the security of blockchain software's distributed ledger technologies for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
From ACM TechNews
Hybrid Machine Learning Forecasts Lake Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change
Researchers applied a hybrid empirical dynamic modeling methodology to predict the effects of climate change and phosphorus pollution on Switzerland's Lake Geneva.
From ACM TechNews
What Quantum Information, Snowflakes Have in Common, and What We Can Do About It
Researchers have demonstrated the ability to read out signals from a superconducting quantum bit (qubit) using laser light, without destroying it.
From ACM News
Fabric that Can 'Hear' Your Heartbeat Developed by MIT Scientists
The researchers say the fabric allows wearers to monitor their heart and breathing in a comfortable way over long periods, and could also be used to communicate.
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.