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
Colin Lecher
Investigative 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.
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
Pixel Hunt
Meta Sued for Collecting Financial Information Through Tax Filing Websites
A proposed class action was filed on Dec. 1
Pixel Hunt
Tax Filing Websites Have Been Sending Users’ Financial Information to Facebook
The Markup found services including TaxAct, TaxSlayer, and H&R Block sending sensitive data
The Breakdown
Police Are Looking to Algorithms to Predict Domestic Violence
But will they be effective or reinforce bias-based practices?
Citizen Browser
Facebook Promised to Remove “Sensitive” Ads. Here’s What It Left Behind
Facebook pledged to remove race, health conditions, and political affiliation from ad-targeting options, but The Markup found advertisers can still easily target the same people
Pixel Hunt
Lawmakers Question Education Department About Facebook Student Aid Tracking After Markup Investigation
Two Republican lawmakers said the department “has failed to protect the privacy of individuals seeking to further their education”
Pixel Hunt
Applied for Student Aid Online? Facebook Saw You
The FAFSA form included code that sent personal information back to Facebook
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