ProPublica

Mayhem at The Markup: Staffers resign en masse at highly anticipated tech news outlet

The yet-to-be-launched nonprofit news site is in a state of panic after its beloved editor-in-chief was let go.

Facebook promises to nix its tools for discriminatory ad targeting

In an agreement with the Washington state attorney general, Facebook agreed to make changes and pay for legal bills but denied violating the law.

IBM’s ageism scandal: 5 ways the company reportedly screwed older workers

ProPublica and Mother Jones released the results of a sweeping investigation today that underscores the pernicious problem of age discrimination in tech. Over the last few years, the news outlets say, IBM shed some 20,000 American employees over 40, roughly 60% of its total U.S. job cuts during the time period. The investigation relied, in part, … Continue reading “IBM’s ageism scandal: 5 ways the company reportedly screwed older workers”

Software As Politics: How The Power Of Tech Can Be Held Accountable

2016 was the year it became impossible to ignore the power software exerts on society. Today, in 2018, we can start to identify the companies and organizations that are putting power back in the hands of consumers.

How ProPublica Became Big Tech’s Scariest Watchdog

The nonprofit is fighting fire with fire, developing algorithms and bots that hold Facebook and Amazon accountable.

N.Y.C. Passes First Bill On Bias And Discrimination In Algorithms

It establishes a task force to investigate bias in automated decision-making by the city–and provide more transparency to the public.

Facebook’s ad platform still lets users discriminate against protected minorities

Once again, Facebook’s insanely lucrative ad platform is under fire, regarding the questionable ways that advertisers can target ads. ProPublica has brought up numerous examples—last year it was able to exclude certain ethnic groups–including African-Americans and Hispanic Americans–from seeing certain ads; earlier this year groups such as “Jew haters” “Nazi party” could be specifically targeted … Continue reading “Facebook’s ad platform still lets users discriminate against protected minorities”

The New York Times is now on Tor as its own Onion Service

Now you can not only purchase drugs and guns on the dark web but also read “all the news that’s fit to print.” Today the New York Times announced it was making its website available as a Tor Onion Service. This means that people can access the Times via a specially made router on the … Continue reading “The New York Times is now on Tor as its own Onion Service”

AI Is Changing Our Brains

Artificial intelligence is shaping not only how we think, but how we see ourselves. Will you one day be held accountable for something your digital self did without you knowing?

Instagram automatically made an ad that said “I will rape you”

How Houston’s Urban Planning Made A Catastrophic Storm Even Worse

Houston was never designed to quickly bounce back from storms like Harvey.

Dear Elon–Forget Killer Robots. Here’s What You Should Really Worry About

Panicking about killer robots is foolish when you have many more immediate problems, writes columnist Caroline Sinders.

What Facebook Considers Hate Speech Depends On Who Is Posting It

Leaked documents show who the social media giant protects and who it doesn’t.

See What The Chinese Authorities Deem To Be Dangerous On Sina Weibo

What’s not allowed: photos of China’s ruling class being sheltered by umbrellas held by serfs.

Investigating The Dark Side Of The Internship Economy

ProPublica is crowdsourcing funds to hire their own intern, and then set their new employee on a quest to expose the exploitation of free young labor in America.

The Best Paying Journalism Gig in Town — Is at a Non-Profit?

Tech Terrors and Triumphs Are Stuff of 2010 Pulitzers

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