The Breakdown

Why Is Ransomware on the Rise?

Attacks have become more lucrative and easier to execute thanks to corporate inaction and the growing ransomware industry

Google the Giant

Lawmakers Propose Federal Legislation to Stop Google Preferencing Itself in Search Results

The bill comes after a subcommittee chair cited a Markup investigation as evidence the company was building a closed ecosystem

The Breakdown

Can Schools Police What Students Say on Social Media?

The answer may hinge on a case now before the Supreme Court

Dark Patterns that Mislead Consumers Are All Over the Internet

Think you can tell a dark pattern from an ethically designed prompt? Take our quiz to find out

News

Uber and Lyft Experiment with Labor Practices Amid Driver Shortage

Drivers say the companies should just pay better

Show Your Work

How We Investigated NYC High School Admissions

New York City schools’ extensive use of screens to choose students is cementing segregation

Machine Learning

NYC’s School Algorithms Cement Segregation. This Data Shows How

New numbers show how many students are locked out by the system

Citizen Browser

Senator Calls Facebook Response on Discriminatory Ads “Inadequate”

The exchange followed a Markup report showing Facebook allowed targeting by age for financial services

Citizen Browser

Facebook Said It Would Stop Recommending Anti-Vaccine Groups. It Didn’t

As COVID-19 surged, the social media company pointed users to all sorts of anti-vaccine and anti-mask groups

Blacklight

Nevada Lawmakers Introduce Privacy Legislation After Markup Investigation into Vaccine Websites

Law would expand consumer privacy laws to sites running public awareness campaigns