Article Archive - The Markup

A close view shows a person using a laptop displaying a news website with a headline and photo on the screen. Another laptop sits nearby on the desk, and the scene is set in a modern office environment with glass walls and overhead lighting.

Election 2026

It was John Wayne’s political club. Now it’s spending millions on online influence

The Lincoln Media Foundation has spent big to push ‘local’ conservative messaging

March 9, 2026 8:30 a.m. UTC

An illustration in green, red, blue and yellow tones that shows a desktop computer screen with an open window tab that resembles a Pokemon battle scene. At one end of the screen is a pixelated student and at the other is a wolf that represents a chatbot. The illustration includes a bubble text that reads "where can students get free food on campus?" alongside other bubbles of text with red exclamation points.

Machine Learning

California colleges spend millions on faulty AI systems: 'The chatbot is outdated’

Community colleges are spending millions on AI-powered chatbots that students say often give inaccurate answers. Many might see upgrades this year.

March 7, 2026 8:00 a.m. UTC

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.

Privacy

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.

March 6, 2026 8:00 a.m. UTC

Privacy

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.

February 27, 2026 1:15 p.m. UTC

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.

Artificial Intelligence

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.

February 21, 2026 8:00 a.m. UTC

Blacklight

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.

February 9, 2026 11:44 a.m. UTC

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.

Artificial Intelligence

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

January 30, 2026 12:00 p.m. UTC

Privacy

‘We’re basically pushers:’ How a battle over kids on social media is unfolding in two California courtrooms

Lawsuits in California federal and state court are unearthing documents embarrassing to tech companies — and may be a tipping point into federal regulation.

January 30, 2026 8:30 a.m. UTC

Illustration of multiple identical green figures in white collars and red ties waving at the camera in overlapping video call windows; they all have 8-bit style smiley faces and 6 fingers

Hello World

We posted a job. Then came the AI slop, impersonator and recruiter scam

Red flags that both job seekers and employers should watch for, in an era of AI slop and application scams

January 24, 2026 8:00 a.m. UTC

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.

Artificial Intelligence

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.

January 21, 2026 8:30 a.m. UTC

All Articles

It was John Wayne’s political club. Now it’s spending millions on online influence

California colleges spend millions on faulty AI systems: 'The chatbot is outdated’

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

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

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

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

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

‘We’re basically pushers:’ How a battle over kids on social media is unfolding in two California courtrooms

We posted a job. Then came the AI slop, impersonator and recruiter scam

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