Privacy
The Little-Known Data Broker Industry Is Spending Big Bucks LobbyingCongress
Data brokers’ millions of dollars in lobbying spending in 2020 rivaled that of some Big Tech firms
Alfred Ng
Reporter
Alfred Ng is an enterprise reporter in Brooklyn covering privacy and surveillance. He’s interested in stories that highlight technology’s side effects and how they can be addressed.
Before The Markup, he was a senior reporter for CNET, covering cybersecurity and privacy, and a reporter for the New York Daily News, covering police and crime. His reporting demonstrated how technology’s claims to reduce crime were unfounded, both in neighborhoods and in schools using facial recognition.
Ask The Markup
What’s Up with the Apple App Store’s PrivacyChanges?
The upcoming policy shift isn’t an end to data tracking, but experts say it’s a strong start
Ask The Markup
Can Auditing Eliminate Bias fromAlgorithms?
A growing industry wants to scrutinize the algorithms that govern our lives—but it needs teeth
Citizen Browser
Facebook Says “Technical Issues” Were the Cause of Broken Promise to Congress
In January, The Markup published proof the platform continued to recommend political groups to its users, contrary to its statements
News
Police Say They Can Use Facial Recognition, Despite Bans
More than a dozen cities have passed facial recognition bans in the past couple of years, but police say there are loopholes
Citizen Browser
Lawmaker Questions Facebook on Broken Election-RelatedPromise
Following an investigation by The Markup, Sen. Ed Markey is asking for answers on why Facebook failed to stop recommending politicalgroups
Citizen Browser
Facebook Said It Would Stop Pushing Users to Join Partisan Political Groups. It Didn’t.
According to Citizen Browser data, the platform especially peppered Trump voters with political grouprecommendations