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

A view of workers on top of a building installing lighting on an "X" sign, with the windows of nearby buildings and the cityscape in the background.

California investigates Elon Musk’s AI company after ‘avalanche’ of complaints about sexual content

Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office is looking into whether a new AI image editing tool from Elon Musk's company violates California law.

Illustration of a man on his laptop, rendered in a pixelated 8-bit style, set against a background screenshot of privacy.ca.gov and pixelated blocks

How Californians can use a new state website to block hundreds of data brokers

A tool called DROP lets California residents fill out a few forms to keep their personal data from being tracked or sold by data brokers.

Illustration of Facebook posts by the California Courier oozing out pink slime

Could this mysterious California news site influence the 2026 election?

The California Courier uses the name of an established paper and doesn’t disclose apparent Republican ties. Critics call it “pink slime”

A view from behind of two rows of cars sitting idle during a traffic jam on a road.

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

A collage-style illustration in green and gray tones with several images and textures on it, including: an image shows a mom's hand holding a baby's hand, apartment buildings and portions of a city grid line map.

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

Illustration of a woman on her laptop, set against a background of a browser window; the image is heavily manipulated to be pixelated in a bitmap style

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.

Photo illustration of a masked person holding a phone with their raised arm; the background shows a crowd of masked protesters holding signs

How Do I Prepare My Phone for a Protest?

Simple steps to take before hitting the streets

Help us help you change the world. The Markup relies on donations to power our work. Give today and let’s change the world together.

Donate Now

A lawmaker, with short blonde hair and wearing black blazer with a purple-patterned scarf, sits behind a dais during a legislative meeting. Other people can be seen in the background.

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.

Original Investigation: We caught companies making it harder to delete your personal data online