Investigations - The Markup

Illustration of a person with purple hair and shoes, being dissolved into pixels. There are prescription bottles surrounding them and some of those bottles are also being dissolved into pixels.

Pixel Hunt

“Out Of Control”: Dozens of Telehealth Startups Sent Sensitive Health Information to Big Tech Companies

An investigation by The Markup and STAT found 49 out of 50 telehealth websites sharing health data via Big Tech’s tracking tools

December 13, 2022 06:00 ET

Working for an Algorithm

When Drivers Are Attacked, Uber Leaves Police Waiting for Help

An investigation by The Markup found that Uber is slow to respond to law enforcement requests, leaving drivers vulnerable to repeated attacks

December 9, 2022 09:00 ET

Illustration of the Meta hand with thumbs up holding a magnifying glass over a 1040 tax form.

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

November 22, 2022 08:00 ET

Illustration of a map, with the roads evoking the silhouette of a head. There are various pencils filling in checkmarks on location pins scattered throughout the map.

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

November 8, 2022 08:00 ET

Illustration of the outlines of a Facebook ad, with a question mark in the middle. Various pills are falling throughout the composition.

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

July 19, 2022 06:00 ET

A red emergency sign outside Neemours Children's Hospital

Pixel Hunt

This Children’s Hospital Network Was Giving Kids’ Information to Facebook

When parents scheduled an appointment for their children on the Nemours page, Facebook received that information

June 21, 2022 13:00 ET

Illustration of the back of a student's head looking at a laptop with a graduation cap on the screen. Various Facebook-like hands are grabbing information like credit cards, location pins and documents.

Pixel Hunt

Applied for Student Aid Online? Facebook Saw You

The FAFSA form included code that sent personal information back to Facebook

April 28, 2022 08:00 ET

Illustration of laptop with an eye in its screen. University logos and unread message notifications are in the background.

Machine Learning

College Prep Software Naviance Is Selling Advertising Access to Millions of Students

The software, often required by schools, enables colleges and universities to choose from an array of demographics, including race, to target prospective students.

January 13, 2022 08:00 ET

Five progressive silhouettes, ranging from child to young adult, with four data panels next to each of them.

Machine Learning

This Private Equity Firm Is Amassing Companies That Collect Data on America’s Children

Vista Equity Partners has been buying up software used in schools. Parents want to know what the companies do with kids’ data

January 11, 2022 08:00 ET

Illustration of abstract diagram with resumes, stars and PDFs. In the middle are hexagons of people's profiles.

News

Public Agencies Are Buying Up AI-Driven Hiring Tools and “Bossware”

The Markup, through public records requests, found more than 20 public agencies using the sometimes-controversial software

December 23, 2021 08:00 ET