Here are some items in the June issue of Communications of the ACM that have policy relevance. As always, much of the content in CACM is premium content, and free content one month may require a subscription or fee the next. You need to be a member of ACM or subscriber to CACM to access such content online.
News
Micromedicine to the Rescue, Don Monroe
A description of how potential advances in targeted drug delivery can be facilitated through molecular-scale computing.
Content Control, Leah Hoffman
Notes on advances in access control technology, one means of combatting intellectual property theft.
Viewpoints
Reducing Risks of Implantable Medical Devices, Kevin Fu
A discussion of the security and privacy risks associate with implantable medical devices, which can transmit information.
Why ‘Open Source’ Misses the Point of Free Software, Richard Stallman
An examination of the differences between the open source software and free software movements, from the founder of the Free Software Foundation.
Contributed Articles
One Laptop Per Child: Vision vs. Reality, Kenneth L. Kraemer, Jason Dedrick, Parkul Sharma
A review of the challenges the One Laptop Per Child program has weathered in trying to provide low-cost laptops for young children.
Review Articles
How Computer Science Serves the Developing World, M. Bernardine Dias, Eric Brewer
How computer science in service of development can improve quality of life.