Riley Thornton has been breaking stories about the harms embedded in digital systems for over a decade. A member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Riley has a background in data journalism and specialises in investigations that combine document analysis, technical testing and statistical evaluation. Riley has broken stories on algorithmic discrimination in employment and credit systems, corporate data broker practices, and dark patterns in consumer software that have led to regulatory inquiries and class action proceedings. Riley's work has appeared in major national and international publications before joining Questionable Digital as the site's first dedicated investigative reporter.
We cross-referenced publicly available training datasets against copyright registries and publisher opt-out lists. The scale of unlicensed ingestion is larger than any company has admitted.
Three enterprise AI hiring tools claimed their systems were bias-free. We ran the audit they said couldn't be run.
We attempted to cancel subscriptions at 40 consumer software products and documented every friction tactic.
We submitted 1,200 synthetic loan applications to four major credit assessment tools. The outcome differentials were statistically significant.
Pricing models that use variables functioning as proxies for protected characteristics are a legal grey area. We mapped the proxies.
Automated systems assist with benefits eligibility decisions in three Australian states. We filed FOI requests and documented what accountability mechanisms exist.
Sources are protected. Right of reply is standard for all investigations. We respond to every serious pitch.