AI Can Rip You Off. Here's How California Lawmakers Want to Stop Price Discrimination
AI can help businesses charge you more based on how it evaluates your personal history and desires. California lawmakers want to end that price discrimination
The Markup challenges technology to serve the public good.
Our journalism is actionable and drives real-world impact. Explore our investigations, tools, and blueprints to see how.
This Just In
California Is Considering 30 New AI Regulations. Trump Wants None
President Trump is taking a very different approach to AI than the Biden administration, and it could affect how California regulates artificial intelligence
AI Chatbots Can Cushion the High School Counselor Shortage — But Are They Bad for Students?
The more students turn to chatbots, the fewer chances they have to develop real-life relationships that can lead to jobs and later success
Investigations
Our investigations use data-driven journalism and our own engineering expertise to reveal the hidden impacts of how tech is used.
Dating App Cover-Up: How Tinder, Hinge, and Their Corporate Owner Keep Rape Under Wraps
The company behind more than a dozen dating apps, Match Group, has known for years about the abusive users on its platforms, but chooses to leave millions of people in the dark
Related links:
Related: When Drivers Are Attacked, Uber Leaves Police Waiting for Help
How Meta Brings in Millions Off Political Violence
CalMatters and The Markup used Facebook’s AI model to count the millions of dollars it makes after violent news events
Related links:
Related: Congressional Report Finds Meta and Tax Prep Companies “Recklessly” Shared Taxpayers’ Data
TikTok Videos Spread Misinformation to New Migrant Community in New York City
Misinformation on TikTok influenced these Senegalese migrants to come to the United States. Now they are being fed even more misleading information about navigating their new home
Related links:
Related: He Found the American Dream on China’s TikTok, the Reality Was More Complicated
Blueprints
We publish our datasets, methodologies, story recipes, and processes so communities, journalists, and researchers can check our work and build on our reporting.
How Do I Protect My Privacy If I’m Seeking an Abortion?
A guide to keeping your plans private through every step of an abortion in any state, including Florida and South Dakota
Related links:
Related: Without a Trace: How to Take Your Phone Off the Grid
We Made an Emergency Alert Guide To Help Californians Navigate a Complicated Process. Here’s How To Do This In Any State
CalMatters and The Markup reported on how residents in each of California’s 58 counties can sign up for local emergency alerts, and found a few surprises along the way. Here’s how you can build the same guide in your state
Related links:
Related: How to Sign Up for Local Emergency Alerts Before Natural Disasters Strike
How Do I Prepare My Phone for a Protest? (Updated 2024)
Simple steps to take before hitting the streets
Related links:
Related: Car Tracking Can Enable Domestic Abuse. Turning It Off Is Easier Said Than Done
Don’t miss a thing. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when we publish new investigations, tools, and more.
Impact
Our journalism has driven real-world change—from changes in government policy to the removal of tracking technology.
Our Real-World Impact In 2024
The Markup’s reporting led to federal lawsuits, local government reforms, and much more
Bill Would Force V.A. to Overhaul Suicide Prevention Algorithm That Favors White Men
The legislation would require the agency to incorporate factors linked to elevated suicide risk among women veterans into its AI program
Related links:
Original Investigation: V.A. Uses a Suicide Prevention Algorithm To Decide Who Gets Extra Help. It Favors White Men.
Department of Education Sued Following Markup Investigation Into FAFSA Data Shared with Facebook
Advocates want answers after The Markup found the department sharing student data with Meta
Related links:
Original Investigation: Applied for Student Aid Online? Facebook Saw You
Tools
Our tools hold institutions accountable for the way they use technology, pulling back the curtain so readers can see for themselves how technology affects them.
Launching Blacklight Query, a Tool to Scan Websites for Privacy at Scale
Inspect batches of websites for user-tracking tech with our new open-source command-line tool
Related links:
Related: Announcing Three New Features for the Blacklight Privacy Inspector
Is Twitter Throttling a Website Right Now?
Measure in real-time how long it takes for X’s link shortener to redirect to any URL.
Related links:
Update: Twitter Is Throttling Patreon Links, Creators Say It Undermines Their Livelihood
See the Neighborhoods Internet Providers Excluded from Fast Internet
Explore The Markup’s interactive map to see where AT&T, CenturyLink, and Verizon offered only slow internet speeds in major U.S. cities
Related links:
Resource: Slow Internet? Find Out What Side of the Digital Divide You’re On
Inside The Markup
