The Markup Profile picture
Aug 15, 2020 • 8 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
📰 What we’re reading 📰
A thread of some of our favorite tech stories from this week by our peers:
According to internal discussions, Facebook removed "strikes" so that conservative pages were not penalized for violations of misinformation policies. By @oliviasolon/@NBCNews.
nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news…
Google’s secrecy around sales houses is the gift that keeps on giving—to global propaganda rings. By @nandoodles and @catthekin.
branded.substack.com/p/the-secret-w…
Why Are There Currently No Ads on Techdirt? Apparently Google Thinks We're Dangerous. By Mike Masnick/@techdirt.
techdirt.com/articles/20200…
Facebook cracks down on political content disguised as local news. By @sarafischer/@axois.
axios.com/facebook-pages…
Uber Will “Shut Down” in California If It Must Classify Drivers as Employees. By @bigblackjacobin/@motherboard
vice.com/en_us/article/…
Our favorite FOIA request this week: Emails related to the USPS/Forever 21 collaboration.
Bonus: This inventive use of Facebook’s ad library to find coupons for online shopping.

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More from @themarkup

Dec 2, 2022
NEW: @HHSgov released updated guidance about user tracking on hospital websites.

It, unsurprisingly, confirms that HIPAA rules apply within patient portals.

But it also confirms that HIPAA rules can apply BEFORE login. This is a big deal—let’s dig in: Screenshot of the hhs.gov website that reads in bold:  Use o
There’s been disagreement as to whether HIPAA applies on hospital pages where visitors might not all be active patients.

But @HHSgov has now said that yes, HIPAA does apply on appointment pages, login pages, and pages with info on specific health conditions.
An @HHSgov example: You visit a page with info on health conditions—like pregnancy or miscarriage.

Sharing your IP address from that page with a third party would be disclosing protected health info and HIPAA applies.

Get the full picture: hhs.gov/hipaa/for-prof… Screenshot of hhs.gov website that reads: Tracking technolog
Read 5 tweets
Nov 22, 2022
NEW: Major tax filing companies, like H&R Block and TaxAct, have been sending your information to Facebook as you file your taxes online.

The penalties for disclosing data without consent could be steep. themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/202…
We’re not talking just names and email addresses being sent to Facebook.

The personal information @varlogsimon, @angiewaller, and @colinlecher found included:
• Income
• Filing Status
• Refund amount
• Health savings account usage
• Dependents’ college scholarship amount
Take TaxAct: When we went through the site’s filing process, the information below went straight to Facebook. (The data in these screenshots is not from real people.)

TaxAct boasts around 3,000,000 users. Screenshot of Taxact.com showing the page one sees after filScreenshot of the code inspection view of TaxAct.com showing
Read 8 tweets
Oct 19, 2022
NEW: In cities across the U.S., four major internet providers are charging the same price for drastically different speeds.

And the worst deals were disproportionately offered to lower-income and least-White neighborhoods, @LeonYin and @ASankin found. mrkup.org/broadband
Take New Orleans: Shirley Neville, who lives in a middle-class, largely Black neighborhood, said her @ATT connection left her struggling to join video meetings.

Meanwhile in a mostly White, upper-income neighborhood, @ATT offered speeds almost 400x faster—for the same price. Graphic that reads "Sh...
Across Kansas City, @ATT gave the worst deals to historically redlined areas.

We found the same pattern in every city in our analysis where digitized historic redlining maps were available—22 in all. Chart that depicts resident...
Read 9 tweets
Oct 17, 2022
The “connected vehicle data” industry is a growing, largely unregulated ecosystem of businesses that seek to monetize your car data.

Let’s walk through the types of players in it.
Car manufacturers, also known as OEMs (original equipment manufacturers): Illustration of a car surro...
Vehicle data hubs: Illustration of a black pot...
Read 8 tweets
Jul 27, 2022
So you’re about to get in your car and go about your day.

Unbeknownst to you, your moves are being captured.

Here’s what happens next:
If your car came with built-in internet connection, dozens of sensors then emit data to your car’s computers.

You’ve unlocked the door; you’re in the driver’s seat; the temperature is 86° F; the sunroof is open; you’ve pressed the ignition; a trip has started from X location.
Your car’s internal computers then process these data points and transmit them to the manufacturer’s servers.
Read 6 tweets
Jun 16, 2022
NEW: Some of the country’s top hospitals have been sending sensitive patient information to Facebook.

These hospitals may have violated HIPAA, experts say. themarkup.org/pixel-hunt/202…
When we clicked a button to schedule an appointment at the following hospitals, Facebook was sent a packet of data that included details like our IP addresses, selected doctors’ names, and more. Johns Hopkins Hospital [UCLA Reagan Medical Center]  [New Yo[Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center] [Jefferson Health - T
Even data from password-protected patient portals made its way into Facebook’s hands.

We found seven health systems sending data as sensitive as medication names, appointment details, and descriptions of allergic reactions.

Most have since removed the tracking. Table that shares whether a hospital removed a tracking pixe
Read 9 tweets

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