Google the Giant

Citing Markup Investigation, Civil Rights Group Demands Racial Equity Audit at Google

Color of Change petition calls Google’s block on advertisers searching for social justice content “unacceptable”

May 4, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Citizen Browser

Credit Card Ads Were Targeted by Age, Violating Facebook’s Anti-Discrimination Policy

Such ads, along with other age-targeted financial product ads, may violate civil rights laws, attorneys say

April 29, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Privacy

Google Promised Its Contact Tracing App Was Completely Private—But It Wasn’t

Researchers say hundreds of preinstalled apps can access a log found on Android devices where sensitive contact tracing information is stored

April 27, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Working for an Algorithm

Shadow Bans, Dopamine Hits, and Viral Videos, All in the Life of TikTok Creators

A secretive algorithm that’s constantly being tweaked can turn influencers’ accounts, and their prospects, upside down

April 22, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Google the Giant

In Response to The Markup’s Reporting, Some YouTubers Are Ditching the Platform

They said Google’s decision to block advertisers from seeing “Black Lives Matter” and other social justice YouTube videos was the last straw

April 20, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Privacy

Big Tech Is Pushing States to Pass Privacy Laws, and Yes, You Should Be Suspicious

The Markup found industry fingerprints on at least five bills around the country—weak laws, experts say, that are designed to preempt stronger protections

April 15, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Citizen Browser

How Facebook’s Ad System Lets Companies Talk Out of Both Sides of Their Mouths

Exxon, Comcast, and other companies target people of different political leanings with different ads

April 13, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Show Your WorkGoogle the Giant

How We Discovered Google’s Social Justice Blocklist for YouTube Ad Placements

Despite committing to dismantling systemic racism, YouTube blocks advertisers from using many racial justice and cultural identity terms to target videos for ads

April 9, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Google the Giant

Google Blocks Advertisers from Targeting Black Lives Matter YouTube Videos

“Black power” and “Black Lives Matter” can't be used to find videos for ads, but “White power” and “White lives matter” were just fine

April 9, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC

Google the Giant

Google Has a Secret Blocklist that Hides YouTube Hate Videos from Advertisers—But It’s Full of Holes

Many well-known White supremacist and White nationalist terms and slogans were not blocked

April 8, 2021 8:00 a.m. UTC