themarkup

themarkup, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to mastodon

#Mastodon poll of the day!

Are you still using #Twitter (X)?

themarkup, 8 months ago to random

If you're here on Mastodon you're probably not on Twitter (X).

So we'll fill you in on the platform's latest: It's making users wait 60x longer for major competitors' pages to load than the average wait for other sites.

NEW:
https://themarkup.org/investigations/2023/09/15/twitter-is-still-throttling-competitors-links-check-for-yourself

themarkup, 5 months ago to random

7,200 images per hour—or two every second.

That’s how many screenshots smart TVs are taking to identify the shows you watch, and ultimately, target ads and make content recommendations. ⬇️
https://themarkup.org/privacy/2023/12/12/your-smart-tv-knows-what-youre-watching

themarkup, 8 months ago to random

Last year, a police tech company shared a plan to make Taser drones for schools. It said they’d “save lives” in the case of a shooting.

Nearly the whole ethics board resigned in response.

But the company seems to be making the tech anyway. NEW w/ WIRED: https://mrkup.org/YJaOO

themarkup, 7 months ago to random

What we learned in our quest toward an anonymous iPhone:
✅ Cash is king
✅ Public Wi-Fi can be safer than private
✅ Setting up an anonymous phone is easier than using it
https://themarkup.org/levelup/2023/10/25/without-a-trace-how-to-take-your-phone-off-the-grid

themarkup, 5 months ago to random

It’s that time of year.

Instead of arguing at family gatherings, help your loved ones find better-quality information online: https://mrkup.org/misinfo-guide

themarkup, 1 year ago to random

first New Story on the New Instance coming right up....

themarkup, 7 months ago to random

NEW report confirms that crime prediction software can’t deliver on its claim to fame: predicting crime.
https://themarkup.org/prediction-bias/2023/10/02/predictive-policing-software-terrible-at-predicting-crimes

themarkup, 4 months ago to random

Our first ✨ gentle January ✨ privacy tip is here from reporter Ese Olumhense.

Get a privacy screen cover for your phone and computer to protect what you’re doing from wandering eyes.

Do you already do this? Let us know: https://mrkup.org/gentlejan-1

themarkup, 2 months ago to random

We made nearly 100 Instagram accounts so you don’t have to.

How we investigated reports of shadowbanning on the platform—and found much more.

The methodology behind our latest story:
https://themarkup.org/automated-censorship/2024/02/25/how-we-investigated-shadowbanning-on-instagram

themarkup, 3 months ago to random

There’s been a lot of talk about #socialmedia companies’ power as users post support for #Palestine and report subsequent shadowbans.

We looked into it on Instagram—and found the platform:
⚠️ suppressed hashtags
⚠️ demoted photos of soldiers, tanks, and city ruins
⚠️ deleted captions without warning
⚠️ categorized comments criticizing Israel + supporting Palestine as “spam”
⚠️ limited users’ ability to appeal moderation decisions
⚠️ more.

Read the story and our methodology:
https://mrkup.org/demoted-main-mastodon

themarkup, 9 months ago to privacy

It’s finally here. The Markup explains how to read a #privacy #policy in 2023: https://themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2023/08/03/how-to-quickly-get-to-the-important-truth-inside-any-privacy-policy

themarkup, 9 months ago to ai

Non-native English speakers’ assignments are more frequently flagged as #AI generated, a report has revealed.
https://themarkup.org/machine-learning/2023/08/14/ai-detection-tools-falsely-accuse-international-students-of-cheating

themarkup, 7 months ago to news

Gig work is making its way into health care and appears to be already harming workers and patients alike.

#News:
https://themarkup.org/working-for-an-algorithm/2023/10/05/what-happens-when-nurses-are-hired-like-ubers

themarkup, 7 months ago to random

“It's another big tech company trying to squash little guys.”

Twitter is delaying traffic on links to Patreon, WhatsApp, and Messenger, a Markup #analysis confirms. These new findings come from readers who used our tool that tests how long it takes to load links on Twitter.

Read our latest: https://mrkup.org/y6F0I

themarkup, 3 months ago to news

A #data broker boasted having info on “1.6B people across 44 countries.”

Then it went bankrupt.

So... what happened to people’s data? #News:
https://themarkup.org/privacy/2024/02/23/what-happens-to-your-sensitive-data-when-a-data-broker-goes-bankrupt

themarkup, 6 months ago to random

Predictive policing tech identifies “hot spots” of crime reports for police to patrol.

What it often fails to consider is why these hot spots of reported crimes exist in the first place.
https://themarkup.org/hello-world/2023/10/28/how-to-use-reported-crime-data-to-actually-prevent-crime

themarkup, 6 months ago to ai

Our journalists marked up Biden's latest #ExecutiveOrder on #AI. Let us know what you think: https://themarkup.org/news/2023/11/01/the-problems-bidens-ai-order-must-address

themarkup, 1 month ago to random

Hello! We have some big news—our newsroom is joining forces with Cal Matters. ❤️ https://themarkup.org/inside-the-markup/2024/04/18/the-markup-is-joining-forces-with-calmatters

themarkup, 7 days ago to random

Thinking about doing research in your school’s library databases? Your browsing history might be shared with data companies.

Here’s why maintaining privacy is becoming increasingly difficult in universities: https://themarkup.org/hello-world/2024/05/18/librarians-are-waging-a-quiet-war-against-international-data-cartels

themarkup, 9 months ago to Software

#Software helps multi-level marketing companies operate.

But are the providers of that software liable if their client turns out to be a pyramid scheme? We report:
https://themarkup.org/news/2023/08/24/pyramid-schemes-are-illegal-mlms-are-not-what-about-the-tech-that-powers-them

themarkup, 4 months ago (edited 4 months ago) to random

When’s the last time you updated your Wi-Fi router?

themarkup, 4 months ago to privacy

We're back with another #privacy tip as part of our Gentle January series.

This tip can offer you a bit more separation between your work and home life:
https://themarkup.org/gentle-january/2024/01/12/sign-up-for-a-simple-burner-phone-number

themarkup, 4 months ago to internet

ICYMI: Our investigative series on #internet disparities has won first place in the Philip Meyer Journalism Award.

This is a huge honor.

Congratulations to @Leonyin,
@aaronsankin, and the entire reporting team. https://mrkup.org/ll8iK

themarkup, 2 months ago to random

Would you want Facebook to know if you visited a suicide hotline?

Our investigation from June 2023 found that over 30 suicide hotline websites sent visitor data to Facebook. That story has now become a finalist for a NIHCM award!

Revisit the story: https://themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2023/06/13/suicide-hotlines-promise-anonymity-dozens-of-their-websites-send-sensitive-data-to-facebook