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This Just In

Illustration of Alice from Alice in Wonderland, dressed in a patient gown, falling down a rabbit hole surrounded by buttons that say “I accept” and privacy policies

The form asked my permission to share my health data. Then it wouldn’t let me say no.

To experience what patients have to do to opt-out of having their data shared, I went to doctor’s appointments in seven states. One clinic showed me how easily dark patterns force patients to share their data with big healthcare networks, even when the privacy form they’re signing explicitly says they can opt-out.

A person wearing glasses speaks into a microphone while seated at a desk in a government hearing room, with nameplates visible on the desks and other people blurred in the background.

It’s easier for Californians to escape data brokers following a Markup investigation

The Markup and CalMatters showed how website code could make it harder for Californians to exercise their right to remove personal data. Now much of that code has disappeared.

Websites break California privacy law at ‘industrial scale,’ survey finds

Tech companies like Google, Facebook and Microsoft are ignoring data controls mandated under California law, researchers say.

A close-up view of a person holding a white cell phone with both their hands. A ray of light softly illuminates the person's left hand.

Background checks to curb dating app violence advance in California legislature

Bill addresses an issue investigated by The Markup last year.

Original Investigation: Dating App Cover-Up: How Tinder, Hinge, and Their Corporate Owner Keep Rape Under Wraps

Following Markup investigation, Congress finds data brokers cost consumers tens of billions of dollars

A congressional investigation estimates broker breaches have cost consumers $20 billion in identity theft. Major brokers now promise to make it easier to opt out of their databases.

A person in a dark coat and light blue tie speaks at a wooden podium outdoors, smiling slightly as a microphone stands in front of them, with the pale yellow facade and white railing of a government building blurred in the background.

Mamdani to kill the NYC AI chatbot we caught telling businesses to break the law

New York mayor says terminating the ‘unusable’ bot will help close a budget gap

Original Investigation: NYC’s AI Chatbot Tells Businesses to Break the Law

A roadside device mounted on a small trailer sits on the shoulder beside a two-lane road as a blurred van drives past, with utility poles, trees, and rocky hills in the background under a clear sky.

He saw an abandoned trailer. Then, he uncovered a surveillance network on California's border

Southern California residents are noticing new license plate readers that appear to be operated by the Border Patrol. Some have had confusing encounters with agents.

A dancing group poses in sync, their arms arched, standing in formation on a stage in a dark dance studio. In the background is a black backdrop with LED lights hanging on metal railing rigs.

Generative AI is eating culture. See how close it’s getting to disrupting dance

Dancers say their craft can’t be duplicated by AI. Our tests show they’re right — for now.

Show your work: How we tested and evaluated AI-generated dance videos

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Pink-tinted photograph of a dancing group posing in sync, their arms arched, standing in formation on a stage in a dark dance studio; the background is a black backdrop with LED lights hanging on metal railing rigs

How we tested and evaluated AI-generated dance videos

None of the videos produced by the leading AI platforms showed the actual dances we requested.

Illustration of a woman on her laptop, set against a background of a browser window; the image is heavily manipulated to be pixelated in a bitmap style

This is how you stop data trackers from sucking up your health data

The Markup and CalMatters found multiple ways consumers can block the trackers quietly sending your data to tech companies, including those used on state-run health exchange websites.