Everyone Is Judging AI by These Tests. But Experts Say They’re Close to Meaningless
Benchmarks used to rank AI models are several years old, often sourced from amateur websites, and, experts worry, lending automated systems a dubious sense of authority
Jul. 16, 2024 themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2024/07/17/everyone-is-judging-ai-by-these-tests-but-experts-say-theyre-close-to-meaningless
I Used ChatGPT as a Reporting Assistant. It Didn’t Go Well
The AI tool ignored basic instructions about sourcing and citations. But it’s a pretty good newsroom coding partner.
May 15, 2024 themarkup.org/hello-world/2024/03/16/i-used-chatgpt-as-a-reporting-assistant-it-didnt-go-well
What Happens to Your Sensitive Data When a Data Broker Goes Bankrupt?
Data on sensitive locations, such as abortion clinics, could be sold off, raising alarms
Feb. 22, 2024 themarkup.org/privacy/2024/02/23/what-happens-to-your-sensitive-data-when-a-data-broker-goes-bankrupt
Use Our Game Safety Buddy to Protect Your Kids and Yourself on Gaming Consoles
Our tool and advice can help you navigate the overwhelming number of settings on today’s game platforms.
Feb. 12, 2024 themarkup.org/privacy/2024/02/13/use-our-game-safety-buddy-to-protect-your-kids-and-yourself-on-gaming-consoles
How To Handle the Growing Flood of Leaked Data
An interview with Micah Lee, author of a new book on analyzing datasets that were leaked, hacked, or just accidentally left in the open
Jan. 26, 2024 themarkup.org/hello-world/2024/01/27/how-to-handle-the-growing-flood-of-leaked-data
How Abortion Ruling Spurred Federal Action Against the Location Data Industry
Nearly a quarter of the 47 location data companies we identified in 2021 have faced Congressional scrutiny or regulatory enforcement actions
Jan. 25, 2024 themarkup.org/impact/2024/01/26/how-abortion-ruling-spurred-federal-action-against-the-location-data-industry
Each Facebook User is Monitored by Thousands of Companies
A new study looks at who is sending information about your online activity to Facebook
Jan. 16, 2024 themarkup.org/privacy/2024/01/17/each-facebook-user-is-monitored-by-thousands-of-companies-study-indicates
Federal Trade Commission Sanctions Location Data Broker X-Mode
The company is prohibited from selling sensitive location data and is ordered to put consumer privacy protections in place
Jan. 10, 2024 themarkup.org/privacy/2024/01/11/federal-trade-commission-sanctions-location-data-broker-x-mode
Kroger Sued for Sharing Sensitive Health Data With Meta
Two proposed federal class action lawsuits, filed in the wake of a Markup investigation, accuse the grocer of disclosing private data through its online store and pharmacy
Nov. 26, 2023 themarkup.org/privacy/2023/11/27/kroger-sued-for-sharing-sensitive-health-data-with-meta
Meet Nightshade—A Tool Empowering Artists to Fight Back Against AI
A newly released research paper outlines a tool artists can use to make their work act like “poison” if it is ingested by an AI image generator
Nov. 10, 2023 themarkup.org/hello-world/2023/11/11/meet-nightshade-a-tool-empowering-artists-to-fight-back-against-ai
Twitter Is Throttling Patreon Links, Creators Say It Undermines Their Livelihood
Markup readers helped uncover the link delays, which also affect WhatsApp and Messenger
Oct. 15, 2023 themarkup.org/news/2023/10/16/twitter-is-throttling-patreon-links-creators-say-it-undermines-their-livelihood
Twitter Is Still Throttling Competitors’ Links—Check for Yourself
Loading links to Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Substack takes far longer than to other sites. We built a tool so you can check any domain you like
Sep. 14, 2023 themarkup.org/investigations/2023/09/15/twitter-is-still-throttling-competitors-links-check-for-yourself
How to Quickly Get to the Important Truth Inside Any Privacy Policy
An investigative data journalist and a former tech lawyer teach you how to spot tricks and hidden disclosures within these interminable documents—and even how to claw back some privacy
Aug. 2, 2023 themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2023/08/03/how-to-quickly-get-to-the-important-truth-inside-any-privacy-policy
What Are “Data Clean Rooms”?
The dirt on data brokers’ latest privacy buzzword
Jun. 30, 2023 themarkup.org/hello-world/2023/07/01/what-are-data-clean-rooms
How Your Attention Is Auctioned Off to Advertisers
In mere milliseconds, online advertisers scrutinize your personal data and bid for your eyeballs
Jun. 22, 2023 themarkup.org/privacy/2023/06/23/how-your-attention-is-auctioned-off-to-advertisers
Suicide Hotlines Promise Anonymity. Dozens of Their Websites Send Sensitive Data to Facebook
The Markup found many sites tied to the national mental health crisis hotline transmitted information on visitors through the Meta Pixel
Jun. 12, 2023 themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2023/06/13/suicide-hotlines-promise-anonymity-dozens-of-their-websites-send-sensitive-data-to-facebook
From “Heavy Purchasers” of Pregnancy Tests to the Depression-Prone: We Found 650,000 Ways Advertisers Label You
A spreadsheet on ad platform Xandr’s website revealed a massive collection of “audience segments” used to target consumers based on highly specific, sometimes intimate information and inferences
Jun. 7, 2023 themarkup.org/privacy/2023/06/08/from-heavy-purchasers-of-pregnancy-tests-to-the-depression-prone-we-found-650000-ways-advertisers-label-you
Life360 Sued for Selling Location Data
A proposed class-action lawsuit cites Markup reporting and claims the family-tracking app did not get user consent to sell location data
May 31, 2023 themarkup.org/privacy/2023/06/01/life360-sued-for-selling-location-data
Forget Milk and Eggs: Supermarkets Are Having a Fire Sale on Data About You
When you use supermarket discount cards, you are sharing much more than what is in your cart—and grocery chains like Kroger are reaping huge profits selling this data to brands and advertisers
Feb. 15, 2023 themarkup.org/privacy/2023/02/16/forget-milk-and-eggs-supermarkets-are-having-a-fire-sale-on-data-about-you
How Political Campaigns Use Your Phone’s Location to Target You
Before you got in line on Election Day, the emerging and largely unregulated political tracking industry was able to trace your movements
Nov. 7, 2022 themarkup.org/privacy/2022/11/08/how-political-campaigns-use-your-phones-location-to-target-you
Who Is Collecting Data from Your Car?
A firehose of sensitive data from your vehicle is flowing to a group of companies you’ve probably never heard of
Jul. 26, 2022 themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2022/07/27/who-is-collecting-data-from-your-car
Planned Parenthood Data Found on Another Location Data Dashboard
A free trial dashboard from INRIX listed Planned Parenthood as a “chain,” with at least 71 locations in 35 states
Jul. 14, 2022 themarkup.org/privacy/2022/07/15/planned-parenthood-data-found-on-another-location-data-dashboard
Online Abortion Pill Provider Hey Jane Used Tracking Tools That Sent Visitor Data to Meta, Google, and Others
Personal information from reviewers was also exposed until The Markup’s inquiry
Jun. 30, 2022 themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2022/07/01/online-abortion-pill-provider-hey-jane-used-tracking-tools-that-sent-visitor-data-to-meta-google-and-others
New York State’s “Right to Repair” Law Could Have a Ripple Effect
The passage of the bill could result in a national policy shift
Jun. 12, 2022 themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2022/06/13/new-york-states-right-to-repair-law-could-have-a-ripple-effect
Following Markup Investigation, U.S. Regulators Questioned Life360’s Data Practices
The family safety company was approached by regulators about its data sales
Mar. 31, 2022 themarkup.org/privacy/2022/04/01/following-markup-investigation-u-s-regulators-questioned-life360s-data-practices
Lawsuit Highlights How Little Control Brokers Have Over Location Data
The case suggests this loosely regulated industry can’t deliver on its promises of privacy
Mar. 20, 2022 themarkup.org/privacy/2022/03/21/lawsuit-highlights-how-little-control-brokers-have-over-location-data
Who Is Policing the Location Data Industry?
Google and Apple have tried to crack down, but location data brokers are moving to a new way to collect your whereabouts that’s much harder to detect
Feb. 23, 2022 themarkup.org/ask-the-markup/2022/02/24/who-is-policing-the-location-data-industry
Family Safety App Touting Digital Security Leaves Its Own Users' Sensitive Data at Risk
Former employees said Life360 executives knew about security gaps
Feb. 16, 2022 themarkup.org/privacy/2022/02/17/family-safety-app-touting-digital-security-leaves-its-own-users-sensitive-data-at-risk
Gay/Bi Dating App, Muslim Prayer Apps Sold Data on People’s Location to a Controversial Data Broker
The Markup identified 107 apps that sold data to X‑Mode in 2018 and 2019
Jan. 26, 2022 themarkup.org/privacy/2022/01/27/gay-bi-dating-app-muslim-prayer-apps-sold-data-on-peoples-location-to-a-controversial-data-broker
Life360 Says It Will Stop Selling Precise Location Data
The announcement comes after The Markup identified the family tracking app as one of the largest sources of raw data for the location data industry
Jan. 26, 2022 themarkup.org/privacy/2022/01/27/life360-says-it-will-stop-selling-precise-location-data
The Popular Family Safety App Life360 Is Selling Precise Location Data on Its Tens of Millions of Users
The app is a major source of raw location data for a multibillion-dollar industry that buys, packages, and sells people’s movements
Dec. 5, 2021 themarkup.org/privacy/2021/12/06/the-popular-family-safety-app-life360-is-selling-precise-location-data-on-its-tens-of-millions-of-user
There’s a Multibillion-Dollar Market for Your Phone’s Location Data
A huge but little-known industry has cropped up around monetizing people’s movements
Sep. 29, 2021 themarkup.org/privacy/2021/09/30/theres-a-multibillion-dollar-market-for-your-phones-location-data
Antisemitic Merchandise Persists on Pinterest, Despite Restrictions
The Markup found dozens of pins containing hateful content, which raises fresh questions about the platform’s content moderation strategy
Aug. 5, 2021 themarkup.org/2021/08/06/anti-semitic-merchandise-persists-on-pinterest-despite-restrictions
Facebook Got Rid of Racial Ad Categories. Or Did It?
Our Citizen Browser project found an array of proxies through which advertisers can target Black Facebook users, among other demographics
Jul. 8, 2021 themarkup.org/citizen-browser/2021/07/09/facebook-got-rid-of-racial-ad-categories-or-did-it
We Ran Tests on Every State’s COVID-19 Vaccine Website
The results, measuring accessibility and privacy protections, were not always great
Mar. 23, 2021 themarkup.org/blacklight/2021/03/24/we-ran-tests-on-every-states-covid-19-vaccine-website
Trump’s False Posts Were Treated with Kid Gloves by Facebook
Data from Citizen Browser shows how rare it is for a post to be called “false”—especially if you’re the president
Feb. 15, 2021 themarkup.org/citizen-browser/2021/02/16/trumps-false-posts-were-treated-with-kid-gloves-by-facebook
Biden and Trump Voters Were Exposed to Radically Different Coverage of the Capitol Riot on Facebook
Data from The Markup’s Citizen Browser project shows the different realities Americans inhabited on Facebook last week
Jan. 13, 2021 themarkup.org/citizen-browser/2021/01/14/biden-and-trump-voters-were-exposed-to-radically-different-coverage-of-the-capitol-riot-on-facebook
Why Can’t I Fix My Own Phone, Toaster, or Tractor?
Manufacturers in a broad range of industries have a monopoly on who repairs machines—and when devices are deemed unfixable
Oct. 19, 2020 themarkup.org/ask-the-markup/2020/10/20/0-electronics-right-to-repair-ventilators-iphone
Labeled “Research” Chemicals, Doping Drugs Sold Openly on Amazon.com
Amazon bans injectable drugs, but enforcement failures have led to a swell of listings for unproven performance enhancing peptides
Sep. 16, 2020 themarkup.org/banned-bounty/2020/09/17/amazon-sales-peptides-doping-drugs
Is This Amazon Review Bullshit?
Spotting the fakes isn’t always possible, but here are some tips
Jul. 20, 2020 themarkup.org/ask-the-markup/2020/07/21/how-to-spot-fake-amazon-product-reviews
Amazon’s Enforcement Failures Leave Open a Back Door to Banned Goods—Some Sold and Shipped by Amazon Itself
The online giant bans products related to drugs, spying and weapons, but we found plenty for sale; one of the items bought on the site left a grim trail of overdoses
Jun. 17, 2020 themarkup.org/banned-bounty/2020/06/18/amazons-enforcement-failures-leave-open-a-back-door
What Are My Photos Revealing About Me?
You may be accidentally sharing personal information in your photos
Mar. 11, 2020 themarkup.org/ask-the-markup/2020/03/12/photos-privacy