71 Stories To Learn About The Markup

Let's learn about The Markup via these 71 free stories. They are ordered by most time reading created on HackerNoon. Visit the /Learn Repo to find the most read stories about any technology.

1. We Ought to Get Better at Recognizing Dark Patterns

Companies advertising online have developed a series of unethical practices that some describe as Dark Patterns, which can mislead consumers on the internet.

2. Facebook Crypto Scammers are Imitating Zuckerberg, Musk, and Bezos

The ads, until recently available for view in Facebook’s public ad library, were frauds that slipped through Facebook’s content moderation process...

3. Does Amazon Follow the Law?

Amazon lists its own brands and exclusives above competing products with better ratings.

4. What Happens When you Try to Opt Out of Personalized Ads

The Digital Advertising Alliance has a website that you can use to opt out of personalised ads. The problem is, it doesn't really work like it is supposed to.

5. A Letter from TheMarkup.org President Nabiha Syed

My dad brought home a computer when I was 3 years old. He hoped that it would teach me things — and it did. I learned to spell in English by playing Reader Rabbit and the Fabulous Word Factory.

6. Who Can Spy on My Kids Online?

What the United States’ children’s privacy law does and doesn’t do

7. Hey Google, Show me Non-Discriminatory Job Ads

Google's advertising system as allowed employers and landlords to discriminate against nonbinary and some transgender people by excluding them from ads.

8. What Is “Suckers List” And Why Texas Drivers Sued Its Creator

A joint investigation by The Markup and Consumer Reports was cited in a lawsuit over discriminatory car insurance rates

9. The Markup Investigation: Congressman Says that Google engineered a “Walled Garden”

Comment comes as part of big tech CEO grilling by antitrust committee

10. Is There a Valid Cause for Using Facial Recognition Tools in Schools

The deployment of facial recognition technology in a school in the US marks a disturbing trend with the protection of identity and the safety of students.

11. Are Time Clock Machines With Fingerprints Legit?

You don’t always have to give your boss the finger

12. Are Students Being Entrapped by Fake Test Answer Sites?

There are fake test answer websites that are being used to entrap students looking for answers during online tests.

13. What is Causing the Worrisome Increase in Ransomware

Ransomware has become a much more common crime online in recent days. But why is this the case and what can people even do about this massive problem?

14. Does Anonymization of Data Guarantees Privacy?

Anonymization of data isn’t enough to guarantee privacy

15. Facebook Peeked at Your Info When You Applied for Student Aid Online

For millions of prospective college students, applying online for federal financial aid has also meant sharing personal data with Facebook, unbeknownst to them.

16. Can I Avoid Facial Recognition At The Airport?

Technically, yes, but it is not always easy

17. A Letter from TheMarkup.org Editor Julia Angwin

Dear Readers,

18. Life360 to Stop Selling Precise Location Data

Life360, a safety app, claims it will stop selling precise location data.

19. Many Minneapolis Uber and Lyft Drivers Were Victims of Reported Carjackings Last Fall

A lot of ride-share drivers were victims of carjacking in Minneapolis last fall. Here is what spokespeople, the police, and the drivers have to say about it.

20. Online Unemployment Systems Are Showing Signals of Strain

Newly laid-off workers face crashes, long load times, and messages offering phone callbacks as states struggle to adjust

21. How Unemployment Benefits Systems Are Failing During The Pandemic

Long wait times, passwords sent by mail, and shutdowns thwart applicants

22. How Are Gig Workers Coping During the Crisis

Workers fight for hazard pay, protective equipment, and better sick leave

23. Over 50 U.S. Gig Workers Murdered on the Job in the Past Five Years

A new study says more than 50 gig workers have been murdered in the U.S. over the past five years.

24. Could There Eventually Be a Ban on Behavioral Advertising?

Could behavioral advertising be on its way out?

25. Why One State's Testing Procedures Vary From a Neighbor's?

We want to know the ways one state’s testing procedures may vary from a neighbor’s, and the reasons why.

26. What Do U.S. Politicians Have to Say About Mortgage Discrimination Against Minorities?

American politicians react to The Markup's findings that minorities are getting discriminated against when they apply for a mortgage.

27. The Concerning Results of Investigation Into Google’s YouTube Ad Placement Blocklist

An investigation by The Markup has shown that YouTube has been surpressing Black Lives Matter-related ads while doing nothing to prevent white supremacist ads.

28. Are You Paying 400 Times More for Your Internet Than Your Neighbor? You Might Be

AT&T, Verizon, EarthLink, and CenturyLink disproportionately offered lower-income and least-White neighborhoods slow internet service for the same price...

29. Why Are Prices On Amazon So Insanely Volatile?

Dynamic pricing algorithms on Amazon aren’t just about supply and demand

30. Official Retailers Dragged Into Battle

In April 2019, fans of the makeup influencer Jaclyn Hill noticed her new eyeshadow palette, normally $38, on Walmart.com for the unbelievably low price of $16.39. Many rushed to buy; others were skeptical: Hill had announced that the palette would be available only through certain retailers, and Walmart wasn’t one of them.

31. What To Do if Denied Housing or Apartment Due to Inaccurate Background Report

Getty Images and Ali Wijaya

32. Access to Coronovirus Testing Will Depend On Your Location

Five scenarios that show the differences in states’ testing algorithms

33. Pitfalls Of Court Hearings On Zoom

Court hearings are going virtual in response to COVID-19. Studies show they can lead to harsher outcomes for defendants

34. What To Do if The Bank Mistakenly Reported You as Deceased

Investigate, complain, and maybe sue

35. Already Struggling with School? The Pandemic Made it Worse.

The Pandemic Didn’t Start Educational Disparities—but It Has Made Them Worse. Vulnerable students get hit the hardest via online learning.

36. Algorithmic Auditing: Can We Actually Eliminate Algorithm Bias

Algorithmic auditing got press recently when HireVue, a popular hiring software company used by companies like Walmart and Goldman Sachs faced criticism.

37. Can You Tell What Products On This List Are Prohibited On Amazon?

Amazon is the largest retailer in the world, but a majority of the sales on the site come from third-party sellers. Along with toasters and mops, the site’s a target for people trying to sell dangerous and illicit products.

38. This Online Abortion Pill Provider Used Tracking Tools That Gave Powerful Companies Your Data

The trackers notified Google, Facebook’s parent company Meta, payments processor Stripe, and four analytics firms when users visited its site.

39. New Report Finds That Facebook Still Runs Discriminatory Ads

We found discriminatory ads can still appear, despite Facebook's efforts

40. Are Your Photos Exposing You?

You may be accidentally sharing personal information in your photos

41. Big Tech Vs. Big Government: The Choice is Pretty Bleak

A group of bipartisan lawmakers hopes to pass antitrust legislation that takes aim at tech giants buying out the competition and hoarding data.

42. Can You Speak The Google Language, Please?

The Markup obtained internal documents that coach new employees to avoid creating “very real legal risks” in using words like “market” and “networkeffects”

43. Can Robots Manage Health Benefits?

In an attempt to manage soaring health care costs, some government officials and health care companies are turning to algorithms to determine how to allocate limited benefits, who to provide care to first, or whether a person should receive care at all.

44. How Tenant Screening Companies Can Use Your Speeding Ticket Against You

Estimated 9/10 landlords, under pressure to ensure their properties are safe, use companies like Rentgrow to perform background checks on potential tenants.

45. The Truth About Less Biased Data-Informed Predictive Policing

Critics say it merely techwashes injustice

46. How Geofence Warrants Are Affecting The Legal System

Geofencing itself simply means drawing a virtual border around a predefined geographical area. Data can then be gathered on users who enter that area.

47. How To Make Millions With Unemployment Sites That Don't Work

In at least one case, that same company is now getting pandemic-relatedcontracts

48. Will Google's and Apple's Contact Tracing Preserve Privacy?

The proposed system is anonymous but vulnerable to trolls and spoofing

49. Reasons Why Your Internet Is Slow

What’s the problem here? It might be you (sorry). It might be the infrastructure you’re working with. It might be your internet provider.

50. How Popular is Right-Wing Content on Facebook?

Facebook has been criticized in the past because many believe they are allowing right-wing content to run rampant on the site.

51. How Facebook Serves Targeted Ads by Big Pharma

We found drug ads targeted at users interested in everything from bourbon to therapy on Facebook, with significant implications for privacy for users.

52. Introducing a Browser Extension to Detect Amazon Brands

Amazon isn't completely upfront with what brands they own or don't. That's why The Markup created a browser extension to help with this problem.

53. What Was Different About The 2020 Census And Its Challenges

The count is going mostly digital for the first time. Oh, and there’s a pandemic

54. Facebook Ads Market Potentially Dangerous “Abortion Reversal” Procedure

The Markup has found that Facebook is serving up ads and posts for the so-called “abortion pill reversal” procedure...

55. How Pandemic Testing Protocols Vary Across The USA

To determine how testing protocols for COVID-19 vary across the United States, we sent requests under public records laws to all 50 states, New York City, and Washington, D.C. The requests were sent to health departments the week of March 16 and were identical. The database below contains responses we have received, as well as publicly available guidance from some jurisdictions.

56. Amazon's 'Essential Item' Policy Upsets Everyone

Currently that appears to include a 10-pack of rubber chickens

57. Why are so Many Opposing the Right-to-Repair Laws

The right-to-repair movement has drawn an unusual coalition of stakeholders, including environmentalists, libertarians, engineers, gamers, and hobbyists.

58. Testing the Perfornace and Privacy Settings of COVID-19 Vaccine Websites

The government websites responsible for helping citizens get their COVID-19 Vaccines have been found to have less-than-ideal accessibility and privacy features.

59. If You're Ready To Protest Your Phone Should Be Ready Too

Simple steps to take before hitting the streets

60. Allstate's Car Insurance Algorithm: How Insurance Algorithm Squeezes Big Spenders

Seven years ago, Allstate Corporation told Maryland regulators it was time to update its auto insurance rates. The insurer said its new, sophisticated risk analysis showed it was charging nearly all of its 93,000 Maryland customers outdated premiums. Some of the old rates were off by miles. One 36-year-old man from Prince George’s County, Md., who Allstate said in public records should have been paying $3,750 every six months, was instead being charged twice that, more than $7,500. Other customers were paying hundreds or thousands of dollars less than they should have been, based on Allstate’s new calculation of the risk that they would file a claim.

61. How Much Exactly are Podcasts Able to Track us

Traditionally, the podcast ecosystem has been tracking-resistant, in part because podcasters release their shows through RSS, free technology dating back to '99

62. Tell Me Your Secrets: How Many Workers Review Posts on Amazon?

We found banned items for sale on Amazon.com

63. How Automated Background Checks Can Freeze Out the Wrong Renters

Computer algorithms that scan everything from terror watch lists to eviction records spit out flawed tenant screening reports. And almost nobody is watching

64. How Many Americans Don't Have Internet Access?

The COVID-19 crisis highlights the costs of the U.S. digital divide

65. Is the Data We Share with Pay Apps Private at all

Using a payment app of any kind, no matter how privacy-preserving it is, always introduces a middleman: an agent that uses data to execute a demand.

66. Tech Titans Hammered By Congress At Antitrust Hearing

Lawmakers allege abuse of monopoly power and political bias

67. Identifying Fake Reviews On Amazon

Spotting the fakes isn’t always possible, but here are some tips

68. How We Pay For Free Websites With Our Privacy

An array of free website-building tools, many offered by ad-tech and ad-funded companies, has led to a dizzying number of trackers loading on users’ browsers.

69. Allstate's Car Insurance Algorithm: How Insurance Algorithm Was Analyzed

State regulators and consumer advocacy groups have scrutinized Allstate Corporation’s use of big data and personalized pricing in the way it calculates how much the company charges its private auto insurance customers.

70. There's Something Wrong With Google Search Results

The search engine dedicated almost half of the first page of results in our test to its own products, which dominated the coveted top of the page

71. What Analyzing Google Search Results Revealed About Google

We designed an experiment to measure the quantity and placement of these Google-created and self-referential search results and how they compare to others.

Thank you for checking out the 71 most read stories about The Markup on HackerNoon.

Visit the /Learn Repo to find the most read stories about any technology.