The Breakdown
We Joined Mastodon. Here’s What We Learned About Privacy and Security
As Elon Musk sends Twitter into chaos, we’re sharing what we picked up about Mastodon as we selected a server
Jon Keegan
Investigative Data Journalist
Jon Keegan is passionate about revealing the hidden patterns created by our interactions with the big platforms. He is happiest when his computer’s fan is running full-tilt while collecting millions of rows of data.
Before The Markup, he was a Senior Research Fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, researching signals of trust in online news and studying the role of AI in journalism. He also worked at The Wall Street Journal for 18 years, where he ran the interactive graphics team.
Jon’s work has won several journalism awards, including the Loeb Award, the Society of Professional Journalists’ Excellence in Journalism Award and the Society of News Design’s Best of Digital Gold Award.
Privacy
How Political Campaigns Use Your Phone’s Location to Target You
Before you got in line on Election Day, the emerging and largely unregulated political tracking industry was able to trace your movements
The Breakdown
Who Is Collecting Data from Your Car?
A firehose of sensitive data from your vehicle is flowing to a group of companies you’ve probably never heard of
Citizen Browser
As Demand for Medication Abortion Increases, Facebook Allows Ads for Potentially Dangerous “Abortion Reversal” Procedure
The ads appear as the company faces criticism for limiting content about medication abortions
Privacy
Planned Parenthood Data Found on Another Location Data Dashboard
A free trial dashboard from INRIX listed Planned Parenthood as a “chain,” with at least 71 locations in 35 states
Pixel Hunt
Online Abortion Pill Provider Hey Jane Used Tracking Tools That Sent Visitor Data to Meta, Google, and Others
Personal information from reviewers was also exposed until The Markup’s inquiry
The Breakdown
New York State’s “Right to Repair” Law Could Have a Ripple Effect
The passage of the bill could result in a national policy shift
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
Privacy
Following Markup Investigation, U.S. Regulators Questioned Life360’s Data Practices
The family safety company was approached by regulators about its data sales
Privacy
Lawsuit Highlights How Little Control Brokers Have Over Location Data
The case suggests this loosely regulated industry can’t deliver on its promises of privacy
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