Two of The Markup's Investigations Nominated for NIHCM Award
Two investigations in The Markup’s Pixel Hunt series are finalists for the 2024 National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation Data-Driven Storytelling Award. The award recognizes excellence in health reporting that is data-driven, sparks policy change, broadly informs the public, and/or stimulates conversation on timely issues, among other criteria.
\ In two investigations, The Markup discovered and disclosed to readers that we found the Meta Pixel sharing sensitive data about people who were visiting dozens of websites tied to the national mental health crisis 988 hotline and 12 of the largest drug stores. Each reporting effort resulted in tangible impact, from lawsuits to companies removing the pixel after we alerted them:
- Need to Get Plan B or an HIV Test Online? Facebook May Know About ItTwelve of the largest drug stores in the U.S. sent shoppers’ sensitive health information to Facebook or other platforms, according to an investigation by The Markup and KFF Health News
- Suicide Hotlines Promise Anonymity. Dozens of Their Websites Send Sensitive Data to FacebookThe Markup found many sites tied to the national mental health crisis hotline transmitted information on visitors through the Meta Pixel
- Three Class Action Lawsuits Follow Markup Pixel InvestigationsRiteAid and Meta face proposed class actions, California attorneys filed RICO suit against H&R Block, Meta, and Google
\ A big congratulations to everyone who has worked on this series. Congratulations as well to our partner KFF Health News, who coreported our drug store investigation.
\ The Markup is continuing to investigate websites that have shared sensitive data through the Meta Pixel and other trackers. In November 2023, we found that Facebook watches teens online as they prep for college.
\ Follow our full Pixel Hunt series for our investigations and impact. Congratulations to all of this year’s NIHCM award finalists.
Credits
- The Markup
\ Also published here
\ Photo by Japheth Mast on Unsplash
You May Also Like
WLFI Expands Into Forex With World Swap Launch
BUZZ HPC Closes Acquisition of 7.2 MW Toronto Site to Build Data Centre for Sovereign AI Infrastructure
BitGo wins BaFIN nod to offer regulated crypto trading in Europe
BitGo’s move creates further competition in a burgeoning European crypto market that is expected to generate $26 billion revenue this year, according to one estimate. BitGo, a digital asset infrastructure company with more than $100 billion in assets under custody, has received an extension of its license from Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin), enabling it to offer crypto services to European investors. The company said its local subsidiary, BitGo Europe, can now provide custody, staking, transfer, and trading services. Institutional clients will also have access to an over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk and multiple liquidity venues.The extension builds on BitGo’s previous Markets-in-Crypto-Assets (MiCA) license, also issued by BaFIN, and adds trading to the existing custody, transfer and staking services. BitGo acquired its initial MiCA license in May 2025, which allowed it to offer certain services to traditional institutions and crypto native companies in the European Union.Read more