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This Just In

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.

Original investigation: We caught companies making it harder to delete your personal data online

Protect yourself: How Californians can use a new state website to block hundreds of data brokers

A young student sits at a table, headphones on, looking at a computer screen in a classroom. The students head peals over the top of the screen as their attention is focused on the computer.

California tried to protect students’ data. Tech companies found loopholes

A legislative battle is under way over gaps that allow companies to collect and sell students’ personal information.

Blacklight, our privacy inspector tool, now tracks X and TikTok pixels

We’ve updated Blacklight, our popular privacy tool, to check for TikTok and X trackers.

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

A view from behind of two rows of cars sitting idle during a traffic jam on a road.

California police are illegally sharing license plate data with ICE and Border Patrol

LAPD and the counties of San Diego, Orange, and Riverside have repeatedly shared automated license plate reader data to federal agencies

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

Illustration of an array of red and white dating profiles showing silhouettes of men

Dating App Rape Survivors File Lawsuit Accusing Hinge, Tinder of “Accommodating Rapists”

The civil lawsuit filed Tuesday, citing the Dating App Reporting Project, argues that dating apps could kick off serial rapists, but don’t.

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

A lawmaker, with short blonde hair and wearing black blazer with a purple-patterned scarf, sits behind a dais during a legislative meeting. Other people can be seen in the background.

Data brokers face new pressure for hiding opt-out pages from Google

After reporters found dozens of firms hiding privacy tools from search results, US senator Maggie Hassan insists the companies explain their practices—and pledge to improve access to privacy controls.

Original Investigation: We caught companies making it harder to delete your personal data online

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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.