Article Archive - The Markup

Illustration of a man sitting in an armchair, surrounded by a maze of chat boxes, dollar signs and hands.

The BreakdownRemote Justice

Can Chatrooms Replace Courtrooms?

Online dispute resolution systems have many problems, but supporters believe they are better than costly, slow courts

March 30, 2022 8:00 a.m. UTC

Illustration of an X situated in a maze of rooms with location pins and ladders.

Privacy

Lawsuit Highlights How Little Control Brokers Have Over Location Data

The case suggests this loosely regulated industry can’t deliver on its promises of privacy

March 21, 2022 8:00 a.m. UTC

Remote Justice

Payday Lenders Are Big Winners in Utah’s Chatroom Justice Program

The state’s new online system for small claims cases was meant to help residents; instead they suffered

March 16, 2022 8:00 a.m. UTC

Amazon’s Advantage

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 5:30 p.m. UTC

An early evening photo of the Washington State capitol building

News

Washington State Looks to Become the Second, After California, Where Uber and Lyft Drivers Can’t Be Employees

The bill, backed by the two companies, would prevent drivers from receiving some employee benefits

March 9, 2022 12:00 p.m. UTC

Illustration of a triangular warning sign with an explanation point in the middle. In the background there is a pattern of URL fields with an open lock and a slash through "https://"

The BreakdownPrivacy

What Does the “Connection Not Private” Warning Really Mean?

How to decide when it's safe to proceed, and what's at risk if you do

March 8, 2022 8:00 a.m. UTC

Photo of a car displaying an Uber and Lyft sticker on its window. A passenger is opening the rear door to enter.

News

Bill in Washington State Would Be First to Bar Uber and Lyft Drivers from Being Classified As Employees

The gig companies and a local Teamsters union helped shape the measure’s language

March 4, 2022 8:00 a.m. UTC

Working for an Algorithm

Secretive Algorithm Will Now Determine Uber Driver Pay in Many Cities

The company has long used ride time and mileage to decide driver pay but is now turning to an opaque calculation called “Upfront Fares”

March 1, 2022 8:00 a.m. UTC

Illustration of a location data diagram flow with various abstract shapes and vignettes of hands buying and selling data.

The BreakdownPrivacy

Who Is Policing the Location Data Industry?

Google and Apple have tried to crack down, but location data brokers are moving to a new way to collect your whereabouts that’s much harder to detect

February 24, 2022 8:00 a.m. UTC

Citizen Browser

Facebook Scammers Are Shilling Fake Cryptocurrency Using Big Tech’s Biggest Names

Facebook ads have popped up to advertise nonexistent Amazon, Tesla, and even Facebook cryptocurrencies

February 22, 2022 8:00 a.m. UTC

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