Pixel Hunt
FTC Warns Tax Prep Companies Against Invasive Online Tracking
Sharing private information could lead to penalties, agency says after Markup investigation
Colin Lecher
Reporter
Colin Lecher is a reporter based in New York. His work on technology and society has received honors from the Association of Health Care Journalists, the Deadline Club, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and more.
Before joining The Markup, he was a senior reporter with The Verge. There, he reported on issues like automated cuts to healthcare, access to phone services in prisons, and the online gun market.
Pixel Hunt
Congressional Report Finds Meta and Tax Prep Companies “Recklessly” Shared Taxpayers’ Data
The investigation was opened in response to work published last year by The Markup
The Government Has a Controversial Idea to Track Mental Health Crisis Calls
Why the national 988 hotline may start pinpointing callers
Pixel Hunt
Suicide Hotlines Promise Anonymity. Dozens of Their Websites Send Sensitive Data to Facebook
The Markup found many sites tied to the national mental health crisis hotline transmitted information on visitors through the Meta Pixel
Show Your WorkInvestigation
How We Investigated L.A.’s Homelessness Scoring System
Year after year, White people have been rated highly “vulnerable” more often than Black people
Investigation
L.A.’s Scoring System for Subsidized Housing Gives Black and Latino People Experiencing Homelessness Lower Priority Scores
An investigation by The Markup found racial disparities in L.A.’s intake system for unhoused people
Story Recipes
Journalists: Investigate Homeless Vulnerability Scoring in Your City
The survey we investigated was also used in dozens of other cities and counties, according to its creators. Here are our tips for looking into it
Hello World
Your Tax Data Shouldn’t Be Up for Grabs
Especially when there’s a better way
Pixel Hunt
Members of Congress Call for IRS to Investigate Tax Companies Sharing Data with Facebook
The Markup revealed the companies’ practices last year
Pixel Hunt
Sen. Elizabeth Warren Questions Tax Filing Companies, Meta, and Google About Sharing of Financial Data
Letters to the companies, signed by Warren and others, cite a recent Markup investigation
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