Alex Rosenblat

Director of Sociotechnical Research

Alex Rosenblat is the Director of Sociotechnical Research at CalMatters and The Markup, where she studies dark patterns, privacy and product design in U.S. healthcare. Rosenblat is a blend of researcher and writer, exploring the social and cultural impacts of technology through ethnography. She is the author of Uberland: How Algorithms Are Rewriting the Rules of Work, and her writing has appeared in media outlets including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and The Globe and Mail. Her prize-winning academic research has been published in scholarly and professional publications including the International Journal of Communication and the Columbia Law Review.

arosenblat@themarkup.org @mawnikr

Illustration of a patient standing in the middle of a maze which spells out the words “opt out”; there are multiple signs pointing to different directions with written phrases like “call compliance,” “contact medical records,” “visit notary,” and “mail letter”

Privacy

MyChart and a major hospital said I could opt out of sharing my health data. But they didn’t make it easy

My journey included a notary, a hospital that won’t honor its own policies and employees that gave me wrong information.

October 15, 2026 4:30 a.m. UTC

Privacy

Patients: All my best tips on how to opt out of data sharing

Even when patients are told they can opt out, medical providers often don’t give patients instructions on how. For patients who are interested in opting out, here are my best tips on how to start.

October 15, 2026 4:30 a.m. UTC

Illustration of Alice from Alice in Wonderland, dressed in a patient gown, falling down a rabbit hole surrounded by buttons that say “I accept” and privacy policies

Privacy

The form asked my permission to share my health data. Then it wouldn’t let me say no.

Dark patterns force patients to share their data with big healthcare networks, even when the privacy form they’re signing explicitly says they can opt-out.

May 27, 2026 8:00 a.m. UTC

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 8:00 a.m. UTC