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Comment and Technology

Act now to rebuild trust in the code controlling everyday stuff

After the VW emissions scandal, can we trust the software on our gadgets? Users need more power, say two members of the Electronic Frontier Foundation

By Lee Tien and Jeremy Gillula

9 December 2015

Âé¶¹´«Ã½. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

AMID the ongoing fallout over the software in some Volkswagen cars that was able to cheat emissions tests, the public may well be pondering a wider question: can we trust the software in the gadgets we use every day? If a car’s software can deceive, what might our devices be programmed to do that is not in our interests?

Some and already stand accused of manipulating energy efficiency tests. But software can’t just be used to make beating such tests easier. It also makes it easier to and raises

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