Maddy Varner

Investigative Data Journalist

Maddy Varner extracts datasets from public documents and databases to help build a more concrete understanding of how organizations use technology to predict and affect behavior—and the problems in those assumptions.

Before The Markup, she was a researcher at ProPublica, where she was on a team that won a Loeb Award for Beat Reporting in 2017 for “Monetizing Hate,” a series of stories that examined Facebook’s ad practices.

maddy@themarkup.org @tenuous

Google the Giant

Introducing Simple Search

A new browser extension from The Markup

November 10, 2020 08:00 ET

Illustration of two students at home during lockdown, one has technology and is studying the other doesn't and is bored

Coronavirus

Remote Learning During the Pandemic Has Hit Vulnerable Students the Hardest

Data on more than 800 schools shows big disparities in Florida

August 13, 2020 08:00 ET

Ask The Markup

¿Cómo puedo preparar mi teléfono para una protesta?

Simples pasos a considerar antes de una protesta

July 15, 2020 08:00 ET

Ask The Markup

How Do I Prepare My Phone for a Protest?

Simple steps to take before hitting the streets

June 4, 2020 10:00 ET

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

May 28, 2020 05:00 ET