iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Markup @themarkup.org · 16/09/2026

Consumers asked a major data broker for their files. What they got back shows interest in how fat they are, how much they drink, and how likely they are to get a mammogram, among many other characteristics. bit.ly/3VhHqsq

231

The Markup @themarkup.org · 16/09/2026

Data brokers collect thousands of details about your finances, health and habits. See what’s in your profile, who buys it and how companies use it. bit.ly/3UXJkhR

033

The Markup @themarkup.org · 28/07/2026

As California passed various child privacy laws, countries like Brazil passed comprehensive legislation that overlaps with some California policies, while going even further. bit.ly/4fDCeWt 📸 Zaydee Sanchez

The California Legislature is considering bills to safeguard children from chatbots and curb addictive social media for kids. Students of Saint Monica Preparatory hang out after school in Santa Monica. May 24, 2023.

064

The Markup @themarkup.org · 09/07/2026

Call center nurses at Kaiser Permanente said workplace surveillance tools and AI prioritize speed and cost savings over quality and safety. bit.ly/44k6Abq 📸 Chad Surmick

188

The Markup @themarkup.org · 01/07/2026

A new state tool lets you tell data brokers to stop tracking you. Will they comply? Help us investigate. bit.ly/4oTT9bn 🎨 Gabriel Hongsdusit

An illustration shows a person using a laptop in front of a blurred California privacy website, with yellow pixel-like blocks scattered across the image to suggest digital data. The stylized artwork uses a limited color palette and visual elements that evoke online privacy and information security.

2176

The Markup @themarkup.org · 16/06/2026

In 2024, Kaiser Permanente announced the rollout of Abridge. Described in a press release as “ambient listening technology,” the AI-powered scribe is designed to help clinicians including mental health providers securely capture clinical notes during patient visits. 🎨 Roxsy Lin

An illustrated composite image shows two people in conversation, one taking notes while the other appears distressed. Audio waveforms, a microphone icon and the word “REC” are layered over the scene, suggesting a recorded or transcribed discussion. Illustration by Roxsy Lin, American Community Media

251

The Markup @themarkup.org · 27/05/2026

Dark patterns force patients to share their data with big healthcare networks, even when the privacy form they’re signing explicitly says they can opt-out. bit.ly/4vgRdMj 🎨 Gabriel Hongsdusit

Illustration of Alice from Alice in Wonderland, dressed in a patient gown, falling down a rabbit hole surrounded by buttons that say “I accept” and privacy policies

272

The Markup @themarkup.org · 22/05/2026

The Markup and CalMatters showed how website code could make it harder for Californians to exercise their right to remove personal data. Now much of that code has disappeared. bit.ly/4uJXGj3 📸 Joshua Sukoff

Hassan speaks before the Senate Committee at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 19, 2025. Photo by Joshua Sukoff, Medill News Service via Reuters

062

The Markup @themarkup.org · 21/04/2026

A new audit has found that websites across the internet may be failing to abide by California privacy law, ignoring a requirement to not track visitors who set a privacy control. bit.ly/4mInt7X 📸 Zamek

Microsoft, Google and Meta are among the tech companies a research firm says is frequently ignoring California's legally mandated privacy controls. People reflected on a Microsoft store in New York City on March 31, 2026. Photo by Zamek, VIEWpress via Getty Images

2167

The Markup @themarkup.org · 30/03/2026

The Markup’s collaborative investigation “Dating App Cover-Up: How Tinder, Hinge, and Their Corporate Owner Keep Rape Under Wraps” has won in the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing’s 2025 Best in Business Awards. bit.ly/4m06u0g

042

The Markup @themarkup.org · 09/03/2026

A foundation linked to the Lincoln Club started local news sites critics find dubious. How John Wayne's old group became major influencers. bit.ly/4bxREup 📸 iStock

031

The Markup @themarkup.org · 06/03/2026

Southern California residents are noticing new license plate readers that appear to be operated by the Border Patrol. Some have had confusing encounters with agents. bit.ly/4aWM1FW 📸 Zoë Meyers

An automated license plate reader sits along Old Highway 80 near Boulevard in the Jacumba Hot Springs area of San Diego on Feb. 7, 2026. Zoë Meyers for CalMatters

01310

The Markup @themarkup.org · 27/02/2026

Identity theft from data broker breaches cost consumers an estimated $21 billion. The brokers now promise to make it easier to opt out. bit.ly/4l5HjcA

0128

The Markup @themarkup.org · 15/02/2026

Google organized business owners against California legislation to force its Chrome web browser to safeguard personal data. bit.ly/4rfu9eZ 📸 Jeff Chiu, AP

053

The Markup @themarkup.org · 15/02/2026

For years a race-based medical calculation delayed Black patients access to life-saving kidney transplants bit.ly/4bV1Fm7 🎨 Demis Courquet-Lesaulnier, Getty

0169

The Markup @themarkup.org · 14/02/2026

Here are seven resources to help if you need an organ transplant bit.ly/4ay9v2T 🎨 Demis Courquet-Lesaulnier, Getty

023

The Markup @themarkup.org · 14/02/2026

Legislation recently enacted in California will make it easier for consumers nationwide to protect their data bit.ly/4kD0cTJ 📸 Lauren Justice

California is requiring browsers to offer a signal that the user does not want their personal data sold or shared. Experts say this has national implications. A person uses their phone in Escondido on April 20, 2023. Photo by Lauren Justice for CalMatters

2127

The Markup @themarkup.org · 13/02/2026

We’ve updated The Markup’s privacy tool to help you understand how sites are tracking you through TikTok and X pixels. bit.ly/46PAplv 🎨 Gabriel Hongsdusit

043

The Markup @themarkup.org · 30/01/2026

Lawsuits in California federal and state court are unearthing documents embarrassing to tech companies — and may be a tipping point into federal regulation. bit.ly/4q8UQRu 📸 Laure Andrillon

People, school districts and states suing tech companies say their platform designs and marketing hooked kids on social media. A child takes photos and videos to upload to Instagram during a community event in San Francisco on Feb. 22, 2024. Photo by Laure Andrillon for CalMatters.

1126

The Markup @themarkup.org · 30/01/2026

In a press conference this week on New York City’s $12 billion budget gap, Mayor Zohran Mamdani zeroed in on the previous administration’s artificial intelligence chatbot as one of “a number of different things we’re going to pursue for savings.” bit.ly/4k5Cq2m 📸 Michael M. Santiago, Getty

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference at Gracie Mansion in New York City, on Jan. 12, 2026. Photo by Michael M. Santiago, Getty Images

04512

The Markup @themarkup.org · 22/01/2026

We found that the latest commercially available AI video generation models produced convincingly lifelike videos of people dancing — but none produced a figure performing the prompted dance. bit.ly/49OWuBF

Videos generated using, clockwise from top-left, OpenAI’s Sora 2, Google’s Veo 3.1, Kuaishou’s Kling 2.5 and MiniMax’s Hailou 2.3. Hed: How we tested and evaluated AI-generated dance videos

030

The Markup @themarkup.org · 21/01/2026

Dancers say their craft can’t be duplicated by AI. Our tests show they’re right — for now. bit.ly/4r4y8dW

Horton-style dance videos generated using, clockwise from top-left, OpenAI’s Sora 2, Google’s Veo 3.1, Kuaishou’s Kling 2.5 and MiniMax’s Hailou 2.3. Hed: Our video tests prove generative AI still sucks at dancing. See for yourself

072

The Markup @themarkup.org · 19/12/2025

Six women who were drugged and raped or sexually assaulted by the same Denver cardiologist filed a lawsuit against Match Group Tuesday, accusing the world’s largest dating app company of “accommodating rapists across its products” through “negligence” and a “defective” product. bit.ly/4p2Iae4

“Rapists know each Match Group platform offers a catalog of available victims.” From the complaint against Match Group, the company that owns Tinder and Hinge.

21816

The Markup @themarkup.org · 13/12/2025

Since 2016, California enacted more AI regulations than any other state. The president's new order against such laws worries state officials. bit.ly/44Xkrox 📝 @khari.bsky.social 📸 Chip Somodevilla, Getty

President Donald Trump issued an executive order cracking down on state AI regulations. The order would likely hit California hardest of all states. Trump speaks on election night in West Palm Beach, Fla. in November 2024 Photo by Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

634

The Markup @themarkup.org · 20/11/2025

The majority of Black Americans surveyed for the series say that they are registered organ donors. About one in four said they aren’t registered, and either don’t plan to register or would like to learn more about it. 2/6

A bar chart showing that the majority of Black Americans surveyed say they are registered organ donors.

120

The Markup @themarkup.org · 20/11/2025

.@wordinblacknews.bsky.social’s “On Borrowed Time,” series explores why there is so much mistrust among Black folks toward the organ donation process. Experts break down the top questions about how the transplant system works — and why equity matters. 1/6

Alt text: Micah Clayborne, 15, a heart transplant recipient, at Lions Park in Ennis, Texas, on Oct. 4, 2025. Photo by Desiree Rios for Word In Black
Hed: Ten answers that could save a life: Organ donation explained

122

The Markup @themarkup.org · 11/11/2025

Keeping up with students’ methods of cheating has always been a cat-and-mouse game for teachers. But some now say that AI tools, particularly Google Lens, have made it impossible to enforce academic integrity in the classroom. themarkup.org/artificial-i... 📸 iStock

Quote: “We want teenagers to think independently, voice their opinions, learn to think critically… But if we give them a tool that allows them to not develop those skills, I’m not sure we’re actually helping them.”
Source: William Heuisler, a high school ethnic studies teacher in Los Angeles. He decided to ditch technology altogether in his classroom and return to the basics: pencil and paper.

3145

The Markup @themarkup.org · 07/11/2025

Since it would likely be burdensome for companies to carve out a way to only allow the signal to be used by Californians, according to experts, the tool will likely be available across the country. See how it could work: themarkup.org/privacy/2025... 📸 iStock 2/2

Hed: How this could go national
Text: Since it would likely be burdensome for companies to carve out a way to only allow the signal to be used by Californians, according to experts, the tool will likely be available across the country. How, exactly, that will look still remains to be seen. The legislation doesn’t require browser makers to use a specific standard. (Spokespeople for Google and Microsoft declined to comment on the companies’ plans.)

2167

The Markup @themarkup.org · 07/11/2025

A new California law could change how all Americans control their data when using the internet, according to experts. Here’s what it does: 1/2

Hed: What the new law does
Text: It requires companies that make web browsers to offer users an opt-out “signal” that automatically tells websites not to share or sell their personal information as they browse.
Browsers like Google’s Chrome and Microsoft’s Edge will have until the beginning of 2027 to create a way for consumers to select the signal.

24717

The Markup @themarkup.org · 20/10/2025

In July 2022, the United Network for Organ Sharing prohibited transplant hospitals from using race-based eGFR calculations. But many physicians and hospital systems are fighting to keep race-adjusted algorithms. bit.ly/4he6pUC 📝 @wordinblacknews.bsky.social

01311

The Markup @themarkup.org · 17/10/2025

As of March 2025, there are 42 risk calculators, 15 medications, five medical devices, five lab test results, and one therapy recommendation that still use race and ethnicity to some capacity in medical decision making. bit.ly/4he6pUC 📝 @wordinblacknews.bsky.social

“A lot of these tools were done as a well-intentioned progressive effort to do well by Black patients, in the spirit of personalized medicine… This was seen as a progressive pro-race justice thing to do. What people didn’t do carefully enough was to see how these tools actually operated.”

David Jones, a trained psychiatrist and the A. Bernard Ackerman, professor of the Culture of Medicine at Harvard University.

052

The Markup @themarkup.org · 16/10/2025

The eGFR, or estimated glomerular filtration rate, is an equation that estimates the percentage of kidney function someone has. For Black people, doctors would increase the value by a few points, simply based on race. bit.ly/4he6pUC 📝 @wordinblacknews.bsky.social 📸 Rita Harper

093

The Markup @themarkup.org · 16/06/2025

As of June 16, Florida dominates participation in the controversial program, with 218 agencies enrolled – far ahead of the next closest state, Texas, with 78 agencies enrolled.

Bar chart titled "States with the most agencies participating in ICE's immigration enforcement program." It shows the number of law enforcement agencies with a 287(g) program in the top participating states. Florida leads with 218 agencies, followed by Texas with 78, Georgia with 27, Virginia with 24, North Carolina with 22, South Carolina with 11, Oklahoma with 15, Wisconsin with 14, Pennsylvania with 13, and New Hampshire, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama each with 11. The chart was last updated on June 16, 2025.

274

The Markup @themarkup.org · 13/05/2025

Publishers believe AI translators can bring more literature to the masses. Experts say the solution is simple — just provide better support to human translators. themarkup.org/artificial-i...

092

The Markup @themarkup.org · 18/04/2025

As of March 15, The Markup’s analysis found Florida dominates participation in the controversial program, with 145 agencies enrolled – far ahead of the next closest state, Texas, with 58 agencies enrolled.

334

The Markup @themarkup.org · 05/02/2025

Our designer is out of office but here’s your daily privacy reminder 🫶 themarkup.org/gentle-janua...

The image has a three-line sentence on a white background. The text reads, "Lie about your birthday," with emojis scattered around, including a monkey covering its mouth, a smiling face doing the same, a party popper, and a cake with candles.

1287

The Markup @themarkup.org · 10/01/2025

No, the Hollywood Sign is NOT on fire. If you’ve seen related images and videos recently, they are all AI-generated. From DEADLINE: deadline.com/2025/01/the-...

An AI-generated image of the Hollywood Sign being on fire. Text says: "This image is AI-generated. No, the Hollywood Sign is not on fire. Source: Deadline."

0112

The Markup @themarkup.org · 06/01/2025

If you are a K-12 student, or have one at home, help extend our internet censorship investigation by connecting to your school’s Wi-Fi and testing whether you can access these popular websites: buff.ly/4a4n751

A gradient from yellow to white background with a pixelated red lock illustration in the center. Text reads: 'Can you access Wikipedia through your school’s internet? How about YouTube, LinkedIn, or The Trevor Project?'

055

The Markup @themarkup.org · 06/12/2024

How to prevent people from learning about your health care decisions 👇 themarkup.org/the-breakdow...

Things you can do to keep yourself safe
Set up a new email using a unique, random password
Get a temporary Google Voice number or a burner phone
Talk about your plans in person
Limit the number of people you share your plans with

1105

The Markup @themarkup.org · 26/11/2024

TL;DR: Keep your plans private and try not to leave a digital trail. That could mean making temporary email addresses, using a private browser, and keeping your phone at home when traveling. themarkup.org/the-breakdow...

New Guide: The dos and don’ts of protecting your privacy when seeking an abortion

Dos:

Use a new email and phone number for research and communication
Speak directly with abortion providers to avoid misinfo
Fact-check social media posts
Know your state’s laws
Pay in cash or postal money orders
Leave your phone behind while traveling
Destroy receipts and delete any messages about your abortion

Don'ts
Don’t share your plans on social media
Don’t tell everyone about your decision, limit who you tell
Don’t assume Google’s top search results are correct
Don’t use AI chatbots to do research
Disable location sharing on your phone while traveling to a clinic
Don’t park near the abortion clinic when you arrive

093

The Markup @themarkup.org · 20/11/2024

Still thinking about what gifts to get for the holiday? We’ve got some ideas for those looking for ways to help their loved ones cope with misinfo out there. themarkup.org/languages-of...

Gifts on pink background.

Text says: Holiday gift idea for second-gen Americans: A list of trustworthy news outlets to follow; A subscription to local news orgs.

020

The Markup @themarkup.org · 19/11/2024

Say a TikTok account just shared a detailed walk-through of ordering abortion pills online. Can you trust those tips? How we'd vet a TikTok account 👇 themarkup.org/the-breakdow...

Hands holding a phone in a blue-toned background. Text reads: How do I know if a social media post is sharing accurate information?

Text reads:

If you can’t validate an account by association, confirm the information they’re sharing instead.

Can the account be corroborated by a reliable source? This means that the same information is available from an established news outlet or an established health or advocacy organization.

001