The Markup

Kaiser Permanente nurses report that AI-driven workplace surveillance tools prioritize speed and cost over patient care quality, penalizing call durations exceeding 15 minutes. The California Nurses Association is negotiating a contract with AI as a key issue, while California lawmakers consider bills regulating AI in healthcare.

California residents can now use a new tool called DROP to request data brokers delete their personal information and stop tracking them. Journalists from CalMatters and The Markup are seeking public help to test if brokers comply with these requests.

Mental health providers are using AI tools like Abridge to record patient visits, raising privacy concerns. Patients are informed of recordings but not how data is stored, accessed, or protected, leading to frustration among providers like Ilana Marcucci-Morris and Ligia Pacheco who report inadequate transparency from Kaiser Permanente.

Patients are often forced to sign healthcare privacy forms without understanding the terms, making it difficult to opt out of data sharing. Electronic systems complicate refusal, and risks include data misuse, breaches, and sensitive information exposure, such as abortion records crossing state lines or domestic abusers accessing pediatric records.

An investigation by The Markup and CalMatters revealed that many California-registered data brokers used 'no-index' code to hide opt-out pages from search results, making it harder for consumers to delete their data. Following the report and a Senate inquiry led by Sen. Maggie Hassan, most of these brokers removed the code, though eight remain non-compliant.

A survey by webXray found that major tech companies like Google, Facebook, and Microsoft are violating California privacy law by ignoring the Global Privacy Control signal, which prohibits tracking users who opt out. The report suggests widespread noncompliance, with Google tracking users in 86% of cases and Meta failing to check the signal 69% of the time, potentially leading to billions in fines.

A California bill requiring online dating apps to perform background checks on users and flag those with certain convictions advanced in the state Senate's public safety committee. The bill, authored by state Sen. Caroline Menjivar, aims to enhance safety but faces criticism over privacy concerns and potential misuse.

The Markup's 18-month investigation into Tinder, Hinge, and their corporate owner Match Group revealed how the company concealed reports of sexual violence on its apps. The investigation, which won the 2025 SABEW Award for technology reporting, found that Match Group allowed a Denver cardiologist convicted of assaulting 11 women to remain on its platforms for years.

The Lincoln Media Foundation, affiliated with the Lincoln Club, has significantly increased its revenue and spent millions to create a network of conservative-leaning websites across the U.S. These sites, such as The Angeleno and California Courier, are criticized for lacking transparency about their funding and affiliations while promoting right-leaning political content. Critics argue the approach resembles deceptive 'stealth' tactics to influence public opinion.

California community colleges are spending millions on AI-powered chatbots to assist students with admissions and services, but students report inaccurate answers and outdated information. Contracts for these systems cost hundreds of thousands to millions annually, and some districts plan upgrades to more reliable AI platforms like ChatGPT-integrated systems.

James Cordero discovered a Border Patrol-operated surveillance network using license plate readers in remote San Diego County areas. These devices, placed after California granted permits under the Biden administration, feed data into Trump administration databases, sparking privacy and legal concerns. Supporters argue the cameras aid crime detection, while critics highlight conflicts with state law and civil liberties.

Congress estimates data broker breaches have cost consumers $20 billion in identity theft. An investigation by Congress's Joint Economic Committee, prompted by reporting from The Markup and CalMatters, revealed that major brokers are now making it easier for consumers to opt out of their databases.

California is addressing gaps in student data privacy laws through Assembly Bill 1159, which aims to restrict AI companies and close loopholes in existing protections. Tech companies and business groups oppose the bill, while labor organizations support it. Current laws from 2014 and 2018 have exceptions allowing data collection and sales by tech firms.

Blacklight, a website privacy inspector tool, now detects TikTok and X tracking pixels. The update was developed with support from Brandeis University students and expands Blacklight's capabilities beyond previously tracked Google and Meta pixels.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced plans to terminate an AI chatbot developed by the previous administration, which provided businesses with potentially illegal advice, such as allowing tip theft. The chatbot, costing nearly $600,000 to build, was criticized for being 'unusable' and contributing to a $12 billion budget gap.

Lawsuits in California federal and state courts allege social media companies like Meta, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Snap prioritized profits over children's mental health by exploiting addictive design features. Internal documents reveal concerns about platforms causing 'Reward Deficit Disorder' and strategies to avoid parental oversight, potentially leading to federal regulation.

The Markup's job posting for an engineer attracted over 400 applications, many of which exhibited signs of AI-generated content, impersonation, and scams, including repeated contact information, identical resume designs, and formulaic application responses. The article highlights red flags for employers and job seekers in an era of AI-driven application fraud.

AI-generated dance videos produced by leading models failed to accurately replicate requested dances despite creating lifelike footage. Testing nine dance styles across four commercial AI models (Sora 2, Veo 3.1, Kling 2.5, Hailou 2.3) revealed inconsistencies in appearance and movement, with about a third of videos exhibiting abnormalities.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is investigating Elon Musk’s X and xAI companies over complaints that their Grok AI tool enabled the spread of non-consensual sexual imagery. The tool allowed users to edit images, including removing clothing from photos of women and children, prompting legal concerns under a new law targeting deepfake pornography.

California's new DROP tool allows residents to block data brokers from tracking or selling their personal information. The system, mandated by the 2023 Delete Act, enables users to submit requests to all registered brokers at once, simplifying a process previously requiring individual opt-outs for each broker.