US surveillance of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is often delayed and incomplete which creates missed opportunities to identify and respond to trends in disease. Internet search engine data has the potential to be an efficient, economical and representative enhancement to the established surveillance system. Google Trends allows the download of...
As American tech companies contend with strict scrutiny from Congress
in the wake of the 2016 election, several have already been harassed by
European regulators. During the past year, Amazon and Google were
slapped with massive fines, continuing a trend of EU hostility toward
major American tech companies.
Children are known to be curious and persistent question-askers. The pervasiveness of voice interfaces represents an opportunity for children who are still learning to read and write to independently search the Internet by directing questions at conversational agents such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and the Google Assistant. However, little...
Human communication has become increasingly reliant on systems made and managed by large technology companies like Google, Apple, Twitter, and Meta (formerly Facebook). These systems offer people many benefits, but they also present new challenges for society. In recent years, researchers, lawmakers, and journalists have suggested that large technology companies...
Task-oriented conversational systems are becoming increasingly popular, as shown by the rise of conversational recommendation systems across multiple platforms (e.g., Google Home, Alexa, and Siri) and domains (e.g., local establishments, e-commerce, books, music, and movies). However, users are still largely limited in what preferences they can express and how, as...
Task-oriented conversational systems are becoming increasingly popular, as shown by the rise of conversational recommendation systems across multiple platforms (e.g., Google Home, Alexa, and Siri) and domains (e.g., local establishments, e-commerce, books, music, and movies). However, users are still largely limited in what preferences they can express and how, as...
Wearable visual systems, such as ego-centric wearable cameras, have failed to integrate into everyday life. We have witnessed the abandonment of wearable visual systems as consumer devices (e.g., Google Glass) and as research tools (e.g., SenseCam). While it is natural for some technologies to die out, visual wearable systems are...
Search engines and social media are two ubiquitous modes of accessing Web information, and they dictate what information people view, influencing their thoughts and beliefs and potentially shaping their opinions about news and facts. Network effects propagate the beliefs, often magnified, disseminating information rapidly and leaving little time for fact...
Many preventable behaviors contribute to adolescent mortality and morbidity. Non-adherence to preventive measures represents a challenge and has been associated with worse health outcomes in this population. The widespread use of electronic communication technologies by adolescents, particularly the use of text messaging (short message service, SMS) and mobile phones, presents...
With the rapid growth of demand for data center services, the energy and water use of data centers has become a critical concern in the contexts of energy use, climate change, and freshwater conservation. Therefore, understanding, quantifying, and optimizing the use of energy and water resources in data centers has...