Notices by The Markup (themarkup@mastodon.themarkup.org)

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. https://themarkup.org/the-breakdown/2024/11/14/privacy-guide-go-incognito

Turn off location sharing for social media apps. You never know who could be watching what you post and decide to show up where you are. https://themarkup.org/gentle-january/2024/01/09/keep-your-current-location-off-instagram

UPDATE: A new bill would force the Department of Veterans Affairs to overhaul its suicide prevention algorithm that favors White men. https://themarkup.org/impact/2024/10/28/bill-veterans-suicide-prevention-algorithm

The bill, introduced by Sen. Jon Tester, asks the VA to update its suicide prevention AI with risk factors that disproportionately impact women veterans.

Read the original investigation: https://themarkup.org/news/2024/05/30/v-a-uses-a-suicide-prevention-algorithm-to-decide-who-gets-extra-help-it-favors-white-men

Real-world violence can mean new revenue opportunities for Meta: the company saw a 450% increase in Israel-related ad dollars since the attack on October 7th. https://themarkup.org/investigations/2024/10/04/how-meta-brings-in-millions-off-political-violence

Tens of thousands of California ride-hailing drivers could eventually get back pay after a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that clears the way for the state and some cities to proceed with their lawsuits against Uber and Lyft. https://themarkup.org/working-for-an-algorithm/2024/10/16/california-uber-and-lyft-drivers-could-get-back-pay

Introducing: Blacklight Query, an open-source command-line tool that makes it easy to quickly inspect a batch of websites with Blacklight, our privacy inspector. https://themarkup.org/blacklight/2024/10/16/blacklight-query

Meta has cashed in millions from real-world violence through online advertising, including the war in Gaza and the attempted assassination of Trump.

What we found: https://themarkup.org/investigations/2024/10/04/how-meta-brings-in-millions-off-political-violence

Many people migrate to NYC because of misinfo on TikTok. And even after their arrivals, the app continues to play an outsized role in their new lives.

With Documented: https://themarkup.org/languages-of-misinformation/2024/09/26/tiktok-videos-spread-misinformation-to-new-migrant-community-in-new-york-city

Originally intended to block obscene or harmful content, the filters schools use prevent students from learning.

Here’s why students are frustrated, in their own words: https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/five-high-schoolers-explain-how-web-filters-inhibit-their-learning-and-safety

California is not the only state that has debates on book bans.

In Missouri, kids are having trouble accessing classics such as “The Odyssey” online because schools are blocking digital books and websites. https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/schools-were-just-supposed-to-block-porn-instead-they-sabotaged-homework-and-censored-suicide-prevention-sites

A group created by Elon Musk is collecting your personal info to give Trump an advantage in his presidential campaign.

Read via CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2024/08/02/elon-musk-pac-voter-data-trump-harris.html

Censorship of kids’ access to knowledge extends beyond books.

We investigated which websites are banned by schools, and found blocks on news, educational information, and resources for sex ed and LGBTQ+ teens: https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/schools-were-just-supposed-to-block-porn-instead-they-sabotaged-homework-and-censored-suicide-prevention-sites

If you are traveling this summer, remember that you can opt out of airport face scans.

Here’s how by Vox: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/360952/summer-travel-airport-facial-recognition-scan

The tests that big techs use to benchmark their AI tools have many issues, and high scores might be misleading.

Here’s why: https://themarkup.org/artificial-intelligence/2024/07/17/everyone-is-judging-ai-by-these-tests-but-experts-say-theyre-close-to-meaningless

Schools use web filters to limit what students can see online.

Originally intended to block obscene content, they now prevent students from learning. Students explain, in their own words: https://themarkup.org/digital-book-banning/2024/04/13/five-high-schoolers-explain-how-web-filters-inhibit-their-learning-and-safety

Facial recognition tech has led to the wrongful arrests of multiple Black men.

But a new California law seeking to outlaw its use without other “corroborating indicators” wouldn’t actually get at the root of the problem, argue the wrongly accused. ⬇️
https://themarkup.org/2024/06/12/these-wrongly-arrested-black-men-say-a-california-bill-would-let-police-misuse-face-recognition

Algorithmic bias could “cost people’s lives”: The AI designed to prevent veteran suicide prioritizes White men and ignores survivors of sexual violence.

With @fullerproject: https://themarkup.org/news/2024/05/30/v-a-uses-a-suicide-prevention-algorithm-to-decide-who-gets-extra-help-it-favors-white-men

#News: Major mortgage lenders are sharing sensitive user data with Facebook.

If you’ve been on the market for a #home, the platform could know about your credit, your address, and more.
https://themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/2024/05/15/mortgage-brokers-sent-peoples-estimated-credit-address-and-veteran-status-to-facebook

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