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Trends to Watch in 2015: From Algorithmic Accountability to the ­ber of X
From ACM News

Trends to Watch in 2015: From Algorithmic Accountability to the ­ber of X

Year-end technology prediction lists can be dull fodder devoted to pie-in-the-sky concepts, outlandish marketing claims or rehashes of familiar trends.

Google's Schmidt Fires Back Over Encryption
From ACM Opinion

Google's Schmidt Fires Back Over Encryption

To hear Google Inc. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt tell it, the U.S. government has only itself to blame for new efforts by Google and Apple Inc. to keep police...

Why the Public Library Beats Amazon—for Now
From ACM Opinion

Why the Public Library Beats Amazon—for Now

A growing stack of companies would like you to pay a monthly fee to read e-books, just like you subscribe to Netflix to binge on movies and TV shows.

Okcupid's Co-Founder on Experiments, Data Science and the Myth of the 'unicorn'
From ACM Opinion

Okcupid's Co-Founder on Experiments, Data Science and the Myth of the 'unicorn'

Christian Rudder, co-founder and president of the IAC/InterActiveCorp.'s OkCupid, caused a stir recently when he responded to Facebook's news feed controversy with...

How the ­.s. Stumbled Into the Drone Era
From ACM Opinion

How the ­.s. Stumbled Into the Drone Era

On Sept. 7, 2000, in the waning days of the Clinton administration, a U.S. Predator drone flew over Afghanistan for the first time.

Studying Your ­sers: Facebook's Greatest Hits
From ACM Opinion

Studying Your ­sers: Facebook's Greatest Hits

Facebook's massive psychological experiment involving almost 700,000 unwitting users has attracted plenty of attention and outrage, but it's far from the only time...

Former Nsa Chief Mike Mcconnell Says Culture, Not Tech, Is Key to Cyber Defense
From ACM Opinion

Former Nsa Chief Mike Mcconnell Says Culture, Not Tech, Is Key to Cyber Defense

John M. (Mike) McConnell says that technology alone isn't enough to secure corporate networks from pervasive and increasingly damaging cyberattacks.

Why I'm Not in a Hurry For a 'smart Home'
From ACM Opinion

Why I'm Not in a Hurry For a 'smart Home'

Here's what it's like to wake up in America's smartest home.

Man Behind the First Computer Password: It's Become a Nightmare
From ACM Opinion

Man Behind the First Computer Password: It's Become a Nightmare

In the early 1960s, Fernando Corbató helped deploy the first known computer password.

Ballmer: Microsoft Missed the Mobile Market Over Last Decade
From ACM Opinion

Ballmer: Microsoft Missed the Mobile Market Over Last Decade

Microsoft Corp largely missed the mobile market in the last decade, its recently departed chief executive officer said Tuesday.

The Job After Steve Jobs: Tim Cook and Apple
From ACM Opinion

The Job After Steve Jobs: Tim Cook and Apple

Shortly after Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple in August 2011, he told a confidant that he got up every morning reminding himself just to do the right...

Bitcoin's Crisis Is Turning Point For Currency
From ACM Opinion

Bitcoin's Crisis Is Turning Point For Currency

Many bitcoin users are probably too young to remember the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 rap hit "Mo Money Mo Problems."

A Victory For an ­nfettered Internet
From ACM Opinion

A Victory For an ­nfettered Internet

A federal appeals court in Washington slapped the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday for overstepping its legal authority by trying to regulate Internet...

Do We Want an Erasable Internet?
From ACM Opinion

Do We Want an Erasable Internet?

This is going to sound silly, but I think Snapchat was the most important technology of 2013.

The Judge and the Nsa
From ACM Opinion

The Judge and the Nsa

Federal Judge Richard Leon has become a sudden political celebrity after his remarkable opinion holding that antiterror surveillance is unconstitutional and, even...

Are Smartphones Turning ­s Into Bad Samaritans?
From ACM Opinion

Are Smartphones Turning ­s Into Bad Samaritans?

In late September, on a crowded commuter train in San Francisco, a man shot and killed 20-year-old student Justin Valdez.

Huawei Executive Talks About Cyber Security
From ACM Opinion

Huawei Executive Talks About Cyber Security

As the world's second-largest supplier of telecommunications network equipment, Huawei plays a part in the technology industry's efforts to ensure network security...

The 'legalization' of China’s Internet Crackdown
From ACM Opinion

The 'legalization' of China’s Internet Crackdown

Internet usage—especially microblogging on Sina Weibo, China’s largest Twitter-like social media site—is presenting new challenges and new attempts to meet them...

Should Students ­se a Laptop in Class?
From ACM Opinion

Should Students ­se a Laptop in Class?

There's a widely shared image on the Internet of a teacher's note that says: "Dear students, I know when you're texting in class. Seriously, no one just looks down...

Madden Turns 25: How the Video Game Sacked Its Rivals
From ACM Opinion

Madden Turns 25: How the Video Game Sacked Its Rivals

The year was 1988. George Michael's "Faith" was top of the pops. "Roseanne" was the number-one show on TV. Bruce Willis, starring in "Die Hard," still had hair.
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