What We Accomplished in
This year, The Markup investigated the firehose of data people’s cars are sending to companies, how internet service providers offered the worst internet deals to lower-income and least-White neighborhoods, how the Meta Pixel is sending sensitive information from multiple industries to Facebook, and more. Here’s just a smidgen of our work and impact in 2022
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. 27, 2022
↪Our original investigation
The Popular Family Safety App Life360 Is Selling Precise Location Data on Its Tens of Millions of Users
Markup Mortgage Industry Investigation Cited in Support of Algorithmic Accountability Bill
The measure would require companies to test the algorithms they use for bias and discrimination
Feb. 4, 2022
↪Our original investigation
The Secret Bias Hidden in Mortgage-Approval Algorithms
House Antitrust Committee Accuses Amazon of Lying to Congress, Asks DOJ to Investigate
As evidence, the committee cited The Markup’s investigation into Amazon’s preferencing of its own brands and exclusive products in search results
March 9, 2022
↪Our original investigation
Amazon Puts Its Own “Brands” First Above Better-Rated Products
Lawmakers Question Education Department About Facebook Student Aid Tracking After Markup Investigation
Two Republican lawmakers said the department “has failed to protect the privacy of individuals seeking to further their education”
May 11, 2022
↪Our original investigation
Applied for Student Aid Online? Facebook Saw 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
July 27, 2022
↪Our data
The information we collected on 37 companies that are a part of the connected vehicle data industry
Meta Faces Mounting Questions from Congress on Health Data Privacy As Hospitals Remove Facebook Tracker
After a Markup investigation in June, 28 hospitals removed the Meta Pixel or blocked it from sending patient information to Facebook
Sept. 19, 2022
↪Our original investigation
Facebook Is Receiving Sensitive Medical Information from Hospital Websites
↪Even more impact
Senator Questions Zuckerberg About Facebook’s Collection of “Sensitive Health Information”
Dollars to Megabits, You May Be Paying 400 Times As Much As Your Neighbor for Internet Service
An investigation by The Markup found that AT&T, Verizon, EarthLink, and CenturyLink disproportionately offered lower-income and least-White neighborhoods slow internet service for the same price as speedy connections they offered in other parts of town
Oct. 19, 2022
↪Our story recipe
Journalists: Investigate Which Neighborhoods in Your City Are Offered the Worst Internet Deals
Meta Sued for Collecting Financial Information Through Tax Filing Websites
A proposed class action was filed on Dec. 1
Dec. 2, 2022
↪Our original investigation
Tax Filing Websites Have Been Sending Users’ Financial Information to Facebook
↪Even more impact
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Questions Tax Filing Companies, Meta, and Google About Sharing of Financial Data
When Drivers Are Attacked, Uber Leaves Police Waiting for Help
An investigation by The Markup found that Uber is slow to respond to law enforcement requests, leaving drivers vulnerable to repeated attacks
Dec. 9, 2022
↪Our earlier investigation
More Than 350 Gig Workers Carjacked, 28 Killed, Over the Last Five Years
