The Markup

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Watching Big Tech.

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Last Notes

2025-07-23 19:04:48 UTC

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Help us investigate how patients opt out of voluntary uses of their data, or get access to their own data. You can reach us via the contact info listed in the story.

2025-07-23 19:04:34 UTC

During her toddler’s surgery, a researcher wanted copies of the consent forms she just signed, but the staff was preventing her from getting it. What followed was a maze of refusals, misinformation, and dead ends that exposed just how broken the process really is 👉https://themarkup.org/hello-world/2025/07/19/patient-data-use

2025-07-17 20:09:17 UTC

Students don’t have the same incentives to talk to their professors or even their classmates anymore — Instead, they are asking AI for help. What could go wrong? https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2025/07/16/ai-is-helping-students-be-more-independent-but-the-isolation-could-be-career-poison

2025-07-09 20:22:43 UTC

The bot couldn't:
Describe a given wildfire’s containment accurately
Provide a list for evacuation supplies
Tell users about evacuation orders
What else we found: https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2025/07/09/californias-fire-protection-agency-made-an-ai-chatbot-dont-ask-it-about-evacuation-orders

2025-07-02 14:43:20 UTC

Schools and lawmakers are grappling with how to address a new form of peer-on-peer image-based sexual abuse that disproportionately targets girls.
With The 19th: https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2025/07/02/kids-are-making-deepfakes-of-each-other-and-laws-arent-keeping-up

2025-07-01 17:43:05 UTC

The U.S. Senate voted not to interfere with state AI regulations, defeating a 10-year moratorium on such laws that had earlier cleared the House and alarmed California officials. https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2025/07/01/state-ai-regulations-safe-after-senate-strips-moratorium-from-big-beautiful-bill

2025-06-26 13:29:36 UTC

NEW: Colleges and universities renew Turnitin subscriptions year after year even though its flawed detectors are expensive and require students to let the company keep their papers forever. https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2025/06/26/ai-detector-california

2025-06-18 13:04:28 UTC

Is there anything I can do to stop my information from being leaked this way? The answer is yes 👇 https://themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2025/06/17/this-is-how-you-stop-data-trackers-from-sucking-up-your-health-data

2025-06-17 12:16:07 UTC

State healthcare sites have been quietly sending sensitive user data to Google and LinkedIn.
We scanned the websites of states that independently operate their own online health exchange, and found four states — Nevada, Maine, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts — exposed users’ sensitive health info. Our findings: https://themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2025/06/17/we-caught-4-more-states-sharing-personal-health-data-with-big-tech

2025-01-28 18:41:18 UTC

Schools’ web filters are supposed to block porn. Instead, they block useful info and prevent students from learning.
And most students can find their way to access an unfiltered internet anyway: https://bit.ly/42wIdYj

2025-01-22 23:04:01 UTC

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The data provides a rare glimpse inside the world of real-time bidding. See how that works: https://themarkup.org/privacy/2023/06/23/how-your-attention-is-auctioned-off-to-advertisers
2/2

2025-01-22 23:04:01 UTC

A hack of location data company Gravy Analytics has revealed which apps are—knowingly or not—being used to collect your information behind the scenes. https://www.wired.com/story/gravy-location-data-app-leak-rtb/
1/2

2025-01-20 23:04:01 UTC

Immigrant communities are particularly impacted by misinfo. That’s why educating our elders can be so important.
What that looks like in Lam's Vietnamese immigrant community: https://themarkup.org/languages-of-misinformation/2024/04/25/how-i-explained-ai-and-deepfakes-using-only-basic-vietnamese

2025-01-17 22:11:45 UTC

Our reporters often use "burner" or secondary phone numbers to keep their sources extra safe and even to protect their own privacy—including when using dating apps.
How we do it: https://themarkup.org/levelup/2023/10/25/without-a-trace-how-to-take-your-phone-off-the-grid

2025-01-16 14:56:04 UTC

About 70% of teachers and students in a new survey said digital censorship in their schools hinders students’ ability to complete their assignments.
Learn how 👇 https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2025/01/16/online-censorship-in-schools-is-more-pervasive-than-expected-new-data-shows

2024-12-30 13:00:10 UTC

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LA passed housing reforms to make the process more equitable after we exposed racial bias in the city’s housing intake system. https://themarkup.org/impact/2024/02/15/l-a-is-changing-how-it-scores-vulnerability-of-unhoused-people

2024-12-30 13:00:10 UTC

We pride ourselves on our journalism being actionable and having real-world impact. In 2024, we continued to do exactly that. Here are some examples 🧶👇 https://themarkup.org/hello-world/2024/12/14/our-real-world-impact-in-2024

2024-12-30 13:00:10 UTC

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Instagram restored content that it banned after we investigated the platform’s suppression of posts related to the Israel-Hamas war. https://themarkup.org/automated-censorship/2024/02/25/demoted-deleted-and-denied-theres-more-than-just-shadowbanning-on-instagram

2024-12-27 14:22:01 UTC

The hardest part is not getting an anonymous phone, but staying off the grid afterwards. Some golden rules: https://themarkup.org/levelup/2023/10/25/without-a-trace-how-to-take-your-phone-off-the-grid

2024-11-19 18:22:12 UTC

A young entrepreneur created an AI tool to help public defenders process digital evidence like body cam footage. Now 65 public defender offices are using it.
By Axios: https://www.axios.com/2024/11/08/ai-justicetext-public-defenders-tool

2024-11-14 13:31:31 UTC

Trump’s reelection is almost certain to disrupt the future of reproductive rights in the U.S.
Here are some meaningful measures to protect your privacy (and safety): https://themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2024/11/14/privacy-guide-go-incognito

2024-11-13 18:30:17 UTC

Meta is letting the US military and defense contractors use its Llama AI model for national security purposes.
Via The Verge: https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/4/24287951/meta-ai-llama-war-us-government-national-security

2024-10-28 18:29:34 UTC

A parent or a friend just shared a social media post with misinfo about the election. Now sure what to do about it? This guide might be useful: https://themarkup.org/languages-of-misinformation/2023/12/15/second-generation-americans-what-to-do-when-loved-ones-are-sharing-misinformation

2024-10-28 13:05:08 UTC

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The bill, introduced by Sen. Jon Tester, asks the VA to update its suicide prevention AI with risk factors that disproportionately impact women veterans.
Read the original investigation: https://themarkup.org/news/2024/05/30/v-a-uses-a-suicide-prevention-algorithm-to-decide-who-gets-extra-help-it-favors-white-men

2024-10-28 13:04:37 UTC

UPDATE: A new bill would force the Department of Veterans Affairs to overhaul its suicide prevention algorithm that favors White men. https://themarkup.org/impact/2024/10/28/bill-veterans-suicide-prevention-algorithm

2024-10-18 14:01:24 UTC

Real-world violence can mean new revenue opportunities for Meta: the company saw a 450% increase in Israel-related ad dollars since the attack on October 7th. https://themarkup.org/investigations/2024/10/04/how-meta-brings-in-millions-off-political-violence

2024-10-04 12:06:26 UTC

Meta has cashed in millions from real-world violence through online advertising, including the war in Gaza and the attempted assassination of Trump.
What we found: https://themarkup.org/investigations/2024/10/04/how-meta-brings-in-millions-off-political-violence

2024-10-03 20:42:13 UTC

Rather than having honest convos on AI, people have been sold the idea that the tech is inevitable, said Maywa Montenegro, an assistant professor at UC Santa Cruz.
Because of that, she wrote an AI policy to her class, and got some interesting responses: https://themarkup.org/hello-world/2024/09/21/maywa-montenegro-agroecology-pegagogy-ai

2024-10-02 21:21:23 UTC

You should sign up for your local government’s emergency alert system if you haven’t.
How to do it: https://themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2024/08/30/local-emergency-alerts-sign-up

2024-09-18 18:32:33 UTC

Gig companies claim workers now make more than $30 per hour.
But one study shows the average earnings after expenses for ride-hailing drivers, not including tips, is about $7.12 per hour. https://themarkup.org/working-for-an-algorithm/2024/09/04/california-companies-wrote-their-own-gig-worker-law-now-no-one-is-enforcing-it?utm_source=optout

2024-09-13 18:52:06 UTC

Originally intended to block obscene or harmful content, the filters schools use prevent students from learning.
Here’s why students are frustrated, in their own words: https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/five-high-schoolers-explain-how-web-filters-inhibit-their-learning-and-safety

2024-09-07 12:54:09 UTC

How can journalists use AI ethically? For Tomas, it’s all about running the tools locally and verifying the findings.
See how he’s using AI: https://themarkup.org/hello-world/2024/09/07/how-im-trying-to-use-generative-ai-as-a-journalism-engineer-ethically

2024-09-06 20:10:31 UTC

Internet-connected cars allow abusers to track domestic violence survivors after they leave. https://themarkup.org/privacy/2024/04/30/car-tracking-can-enable-domestic-abuse-turning-it-off-is-easier-said-than-done

2024-09-03 20:23:09 UTC

Schools have the power to decide what’s inappropriate for kids. The result:
The Trevor Project ➡️ Blocked
Planned Parenthood ➡️ Blocked
NASA ➡️ Blocked
How that happened: https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/schools-were-just-supposed-to-block-porn-instead-they-sabotaged-homework-and-censored-suicide-prevention-sites

2024-08-29 18:27:00 UTC

People are talking more about book bans in libraries and schools, but do you know there’s digital censorship as well?
We investigated it earlier this year, here’s what we found: https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/schools-were-just-supposed-to-block-porn-instead-they-sabotaged-homework-and-censored-suicide-prevention-sites

2024-08-13 14:45:38 UTC

We’ve got some good news: our newsroom recently won two prestigious awards at the Asian American Journalists Association 2024 convention!
Congratulations to Sisi Wei and Lam Thuy Vo, and all other award-winners. https://themarkup.org/inside-the-markup/2024/08/13/calmatters-the-markup-honored-for-leadership-in-diversity-and-solidarity-community-innovation-by-asian-american-journalists-association

2024-08-12 12:23:15 UTC

California is not the only state that has debates on book bans.
In Missouri, kids are having trouble accessing classics such as “The Odyssey” online because schools are blocking digital books and websites. https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/schools-were-just-supposed-to-block-porn-instead-they-sabotaged-homework-and-censored-suicide-prevention-sites

2024-08-08 13:44:57 UTC

Censorship of kids’ access to knowledge extends beyond books.
We investigated which websites are banned by schools, and found blocks on news, educational information, and resources for sex ed and LGBTQ+ teens: https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/schools-were-just-supposed-to-block-porn-instead-they-sabotaged-homework-and-censored-suicide-prevention-sites

2024-08-02 19:17:19 UTC

If you are traveling this summer, remember that you can opt out of airport face scans.
Here’s how by Vox: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/360952/summer-travel-airport-facial-recognition-scan

2024-07-08 22:48:09 UTC

“News influencers” are spreading misinformation throughout immigrant communities.
Take the case of Sonia Ohlala, who made daily videos targeted at Vietnamese community members: https://themarkup.org/languages-of-misinformation/2024/05/22/the-inside-story-of-the-youtube-influencer-who-peddles-misinformation-to-vietnamese-communities

2024-07-08 15:35:57 UTC

Schools use web filters to limit what students can see online.
Originally intended to block obscene content, they now prevent students from learning. Students explain, in their own words: https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/five-high-schoolers-explain-how-web-filters-inhibit-their-learning-and-safety

2024-07-08 15:35:57 UTC

2024-05-04 13:04:58 UTC

Before you hit the streets, you should note that your cellphones may subject you to surveillance tactics by law enforcement.
We put together a guide on how to prepare your phone for a protest: https://themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2024/05/04/how-do-i-prepare-my-phone-for-a-protest-updated-2024