Todd Feathers

Enterprise Reporter

Todd Feathers is a New York–based reporter covering algorithmic decision-making and surveillance, with a particular focus on how technologies affect children, people with disabilities, and groups underrepresented in Big Tech boardrooms. He left The Markup in July 2023.

Before joining The Markup, he was a freelance reporter writing for The Markup, Vice, The Guardian, and other publications. His work included investigations into racial bias in ed tech software and police surveillance tools.

Illustration of a handshake, with the Capitol building in the background. To the left of the Capitol building there are dollar bills. To the right of the capitol building there are multiple fires, emojis, thumbs and location pins. The hand on the right has little buttons for Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Google on their wrist.

Privacy

Tech Industry Groups Are Watering Down Attempts at Privacy Regulation, One State at a Time

Coordinated industry lobbying is overwhelming the scattered efforts of consumer groups and privacy-minded lawmakers

May 26, 2022 08:00 ET

Illustration of a man sitting in an armchair, surrounded by a maze of chat boxes, dollar signs and hands.

The BreakdownRemote Justice

Can Chatrooms Replace Courtrooms?

Online dispute resolution systems have many problems, but supporters believe they are better than costly, slow courts

March 30, 2022 08:00 ET

Remote Justice

Payday Lenders Are Big Winners in Utah’s Chatroom Justice Program

The state’s new online system for small claims cases was meant to help residents; instead they suffered

March 16, 2022 08:00 ET

Five progressive silhouettes, ranging from child to young adult, with four data panels next to each of them.

Machine Learning

Help Us Investigate the Ed Tech Industry

There’s a booming business in classroom software—and in some cases, the data on students that it produces

January 19, 2022 08:00 ET

Illustration of laptop with an eye in its screen. University logos and unread message notifications are in the background.

Machine Learning

College Prep Software Naviance Is Selling Advertising Access to Millions of Students

The software, often required by schools, enables colleges and universities to choose from an array of demographics, including race, to target prospective students.

January 13, 2022 08:00 ET

Machine Learning

This Private Equity Firm Is Amassing Companies That Collect Data on America’s Children

Vista Equity Partners has been buying up software used in schools. Parents want to know what the companies do with kids’ data

January 11, 2022 08:00 ET

Close-up of computer screen displaying some programming code language

News

Why It’s So Hard to Regulate Algorithms

Governments increasingly use algorithms to do everything from assign benefits to dole out punishment—but attempts to regulate them have been unsuccessful

January 4, 2022 08:00 ET