The Markup

Californians can protect their personal data with one click. Help us test if it works

If you haven’t heard yet, California is offering a new way for people to protect their data — and we want your help tracking ...
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In 2023, Resolve to Fix Your Organization’s Meta Pixel Problem

We all use the internet to complete increasingly sensitive tasks: book doctor’s appointments, file taxes, apply for financial aid. When we do, our data can be tracked from the moment we open our ...
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This Private Equity Firm Is Amassing Companies That Collect Data on America’s Children

Over the past six years, a little-known private equity firm, Vista Equity Partners, has built an educational software empire that wields unseen influence over the educational journeys of tens of ...
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Why It’s So Hard to Regulate Algorithms

In 2018, the New York City Council created a task force to study the city’s use of automated decision systems (ADS). The concern: Algorithms, not just in New York but around the country, were ...
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Mortgage Brokers Sent People’s Estimated Credit, Address, and Veteran Status to Facebook

The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, uses investigative reporting, data analysis, and software engineering to challenge technology to serve the public good. Sign up for Klaxon, a newsletter that ...
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Access Denied: Faulty Automated Background Checks Freeze Out Renters

Burglary and domestic assault in Minnesota. Selling meth and jumping bail in Kentucky. Driving without insurance in Arkansas. Disorderly conduct. Theft. Lying to a police officer. Unspecified “crimes.
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His students suddenly started getting A’s. Did a Google AI tool go too far?

The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, uses investigative reporting, data analysis, and software engineering to challenge technology to serve the public good. Sign up for Klaxon, a newsletter that ...
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A Death Sentence: Native Americans Shut Out of the Nation’s Liver Transplant System

Native Americans are far less likely than other racial groups to gain a spot on the national liver transplant list, despite having the highest rate of death from liver disease, according to an ...
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California colleges spend millions to catch plagiarism and AI. Is the faulty tech worth it?

The Markup, now a part of CalMatters, uses investigative reporting, data analysis, and software engineering to challenge technology to serve the public good. Sign up for Klaxon, a newsletter that ...
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Who's Afraid of Disparate Impact?

Hello World is a weekly newsletter—delivered every Saturday morning—that goes deep into our original reporting and the questions we put to big thinkers in the field. Browse the archive here. Hi, I’m ...
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Introducing Simple Search

Have you noticed that Google search results often turn up a lot of Google content at the top? We did. We built a browser extension, Simple Search, to show you just the “traditional” search results.