Article Archive - The Markup

Privacy

Google wasn't against this privacy bill, officially. Behind the scenes, it orchestrated opposition

Google organized business owners against California legislation to force its Chrome web browser to safeguard personal data.

September 12, 2025 13:45 ET

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.

Privacy

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.

August 18, 2025 09:49 ET

Illustration of a hand holding a magnifying glass over a group of opt out web pages labeled with phrases like "Opt Out" or "Delete My Data"; the magnifying glass shows a dashed outline of those web pages, conveying that they are concealed

Privacy

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

Dozens of companies are hiding how you can delete your personal data, The Markup and CalMatters found. After our reporters reached out for comment, multiple companies have stopped the practice.

August 12, 2025 08:30 ET

Illustration of a woman wearing an prison uniform on a laptop labeled "C.D.C.R."; she's surrounded by a pile of textbooks, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation seal, a search input, a browser window with a lock on it, a crossed-out Wifi symbol and a silhouette of a person in a graduation uniform holding up a diploma

Machine Learning

Prison inmates can take college classes, but often with no internet and limited tech

Students regularly face dead ends, even with access to technology and research resources

August 7, 2025 08:00 ET

A person uses a smartphone to browse an online clothing store. The screen displays a product page for a denim jacket with a shearling collar priced at $219. The individual is about to tap the "Buy it now" button, with one hand holding the phone and the other poised to make the selection. The background is softly blurred, suggesting a home setting with natural light filtering in through windows.

Artificial Intelligence

Should Lyft and Uber charge more if your battery is low? California may soon ban that

California lawmakers want to ban companies from using data about consumers’ devices like battery life, model and geolocation to set fluctuating prices. Proponents say such “surveillance pricing” is discriminatory.

August 4, 2025 08:30 ET

A person in a white medical coat with a stethoscope uses a tablet, while another individual in a light blue shirt sits nearby. The interaction suggests a consultation or discussion, with the focus on the hands and device rather than faces.

Hello World

During my kid’s surgery, I was denied a copy of my consent form — then sent to a ghost office

Help us understand the challenges patients face opting out of voluntary uses of their data, or getting access to their records.

July 19, 2025 08:00 ET

Two individuals sit at a table in a classroom, writing on paper with pens. One person with dark, wavy hair and a black shirt focuses on their work, while the other, wearing a gray hoodie, holds a notebook with a bright orange sheet. A can of energy drink and a blue bottle sit on the table. A whiteboard with faint writing is visible in the background.

Artificial Intelligence

AI is helping students be more independent, but the isolation could be career poison

Chatbots may give students quick answers when they have questions, but they won’t help students form relationships that matter for college and life success.

July 16, 2025 13:00 ET

A close-up of a yellow Cal Fire uniform with a detailed embroidered patch on the shoulder. The patch features the shape of California, a stylized flame, and text reading “CAL FIRE” and “Since 1885.” The words “California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection” are visible along the top of the patch. The fabric is lit with strong contrast, emphasizing its texture and stitching.

Artificial Intelligence

California's fire protection agency made an AI chatbot. It can’t answer one crucial question

The bot fails at some basic questions about fires. Cal Fire says it is working on fixes.

July 9, 2025 08:30 ET

A stylized, glitch-effect image of a person with curly hair standing in a dark room, wearing a spaghetti strap top and high-waisted jeans. The person appears multiple times in overlapping positions, creating a blurred, distorted visual echo. The image is heavily tinted in purples and pinks, with digital noise and scan lines suggesting a corrupted or manipulated video frame.

Artificial Intelligence

Kids are making deepfakes of each other, and laws aren’t keeping up

Schools and lawmakers are grappling with how to address a new form of peer-on-peer image-based sexual abuse that disproportionately targets girls.

July 2, 2025 06:00 ET

A view of the dome-structure of the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C. taken and next to its blurry reflection on a glass wall in the foreground.

Artificial Intelligence

State AI regulations safe after Senate strips moratorium from ‘big, beautiful bill’

In the end, both Republicans and Democrats helped doom a 10-year moratorium on state AI regulation after it cleared the House

July 1, 2025 13:15 ET

All Articles

Google wasn't against this privacy bill, officially. Behind the scenes, it orchestrated opposition

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

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

Prison inmates can take college classes, but often with no internet and limited tech

Should Lyft and Uber charge more if your battery is low? California may soon ban that

During my kid’s surgery, I was denied a copy of my consent form — then sent to a ghost office

AI is helping students be more independent, but the isolation could be career poison

California's fire protection agency made an AI chatbot. It can’t answer one crucial question

Kids are making deepfakes of each other, and laws aren’t keeping up

State AI regulations safe after Senate strips moratorium from ‘big, beautiful bill’