Google wasn't against this privacy bill, officially. Behind the scenes, it orchestrated opposition
Google organized business owners against California legislation to force its Chrome web browser to safeguard personal data.
The Markup challenges technology to serve the public good.
Our journalism is actionable and drives real-world impact. Explore our investigations, tools, and blueprints to see how.
This Just In
We caught companies making it harder to delete your personal data online
Dozens of companies are hiding how you can delete your personal data, The Markup and CalMatters found. After our reporters reached out for comment, multiple companies have stopped the practice.
Prison inmates can take college classes, but often with no internet and limited tech
Students regularly face dead ends, even with access to technology and research resources
Investigations
Our investigations use data-driven journalism and our own engineering expertise to reveal the hidden impacts of how tech is used.
California police are illegally sharing license plate data with ICE and Border Patrol
LAPD and the counties of San Diego, Orange, and Riverside have repeatedly shared automated license plate reader data to federal agencies
Related links:
The NYC Algorithm Deciding Which Families Are Under Watch for Child Abuse
How a family’s neighborhood, age, and mental health might get their case a deeper look
Blueprints
We publish our datasets, methodologies, story recipes, and processes so communities, journalists, and researchers can check our work and build on our reporting.
This is how you stop data trackers from sucking up your health data
The Markup and CalMatters found multiple ways consumers can block the trackers quietly sending your data to tech companies, including those used on state-run health exchange websites.
Related links:
Related: How California sent residents’ personal health data to LinkedIn
Related: We caught 4 more states sharing personal health data with Big Tech
How Do I Prepare My Phone for a Protest? (Updated 2024)
Simple steps to take before hitting the streets
Related links:
Related: Car Tracking Can Enable Domestic Abuse. Turning It Off Is Easier Said Than Done
Don’t miss a thing. Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when we publish new investigations, tools, and more.
Impact
Our journalism has driven real-world change—from changes in government policy to the removal of tracking technology.
Data brokers face new pressure for hiding opt-out pages from Google
After reporters found dozens of firms hiding privacy tools from search results, US senator Maggie Hassan insists the companies explain their practices—and pledge to improve access to privacy controls.
Related links:
Original Investigation: We caught companies making it harder to delete your personal data online
House lawmakers demand answers from California health exchange on sending data to LinkedIn
The lawmakers cite a Markup and CalMatters investigation that first revealed Covered California’s data practices in April.
Related links:
Original investigation: How California sent residents’ personal health data to LinkedIn
We followed up: We caught 4 more states sharing personal health data with Big Tech
House bill targets loopholes that let car insurance companies charge more in Black neighborhoods
Bill reintroduction follows investigation by The Markup and Outlier Media that found insurers target Black neighborhoods for high rates
Related links:
Original Investigation: Michigan’s “Fair and Reasonable” Reforms Allowed Car Insurers to Charge More in Black Neighborhoods
Tools
Our tools hold institutions accountable for the way they use technology, pulling back the curtain so readers can see for themselves how technology affects them.
Here’s Every Local Police Agency Enforcing for ICE
Partnerships more than doubled during the first months of Trump's current term under a program known as 287(g)
Related links:
Launching Blacklight Query, a Tool to Scan Websites for Privacy at Scale
Inspect batches of websites for user-tracking tech with our new open-source command-line tool
Related links:
Related: Announcing Three New Features for the Blacklight Privacy Inspector
Inside The Markup
