Locked Out
Data Brokers May Report COVID-19–Related Evictions for Years
Scant rules around tenant background screenings mean money woes during the pandemic’s economic slowdown will haunt some tenants, even if they pay up
Lauren Kirchner
Investigative Reporter
Lauren Kirchner wrote for The Markup about the intersection between government and technology and how the use of data in decisions affects us all, particularly the most vulnerable. She left The Markup in July 2022.
She previously worked at ProPublica, where she was part of the team of reporters and programmers who were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Reporting for their “Machine Bias” series.
Her reporting on technology and criminal justice has appeared in The New York Times, Columbia Journalism Review, and Pacific Standard magazine, among others. Lauren began her journalism career at the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia.
Coronavirus
¿Qué tan equitativa es la Justicia en Zoom?
Las audiencias judiciales se están volviendo virtuales en respuesta al coronavirus (COVID-19). Algunos estudios demuestran que pueden producirse resultados más severos para los acusados
Coronavirus
Millions of Americans Depend on Libraries for Internet. Now They’re Closed
From big cities to tiny towns, librarians are getting scrappy to meet the need
The Breakdown
If I Go to a Protest, What Kinds of Personal Information Might Police Collect About Me?
(And how long can it stick around?)
Remote Justice
How Fair Is Zoom Justice?
Court hearings are going virtual in response to COVID-19. Studies show they can lead to harsher outcomes for defendants
Locked Out
Access Denied: Faulty Automated Background Checks Freeze Out Renters
Computer algorithms that scan everything from terror watch lists to eviction records spit out flawed tenant screening reports. And almost nobody is watching
Show Your WorkLocked Out
How We Investigated the Tenant Screening Industry
Public records, interviews, and months of searching and reading court records helped us uncover how automated screenings come up short
The BreakdownLocked Out
What Can You Do if Your Tenant Background Report Is Wrong?
An investigation by The Markup and The New York Times found that faulty reports are common in the tenant screening process
The Breakdown
I Bought a DNA Testing Kit. What Am I Giving Away?
Oh, the places your DNA will go!
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