Explained | What are ‘dark patterns’ in the Internet
1 year, 11 months ago

Explained | What are ‘dark patterns’ in the Internet

The Hindu  

The story so far: Some Internet-based firms have been tricking users into agreeing to certain conditions or clicking a few links. Social media companies and Big Tech firms such as Apple, Amazon, Skype, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Google use dark or deceptive patterns to downgrade the user experience to their advantage. Dark patterns endanger the experience of Internet users and make them more vulnerable to financial and data exploitation by Big Tech firms. Dark patterns confuse users, introduce online obstacles, make simple tasks time-consuming, have users sign up for unwanted services/products, and force them to pay more money or share more personal information than they intended. The FTC report has warned that as augmented reality and virtual reality platforms and devices grow in usage, dark patterns will likely follow users to these new channels as well.

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History of this topic

Are Indian apps manipulating you? Unveiling the dark patterns of online shopping
4 weeks ago

Are Indian apps manipulating you? Unveiling the dark patterns of online shopping

Live Mint  

Raise your hand if you have encountered a dialog box on an app or a website where “Yes" is brighter and more visible than a “No", or the site you are buying from has sneakily added a new service or an item while charging you more money. Privacy deception, which is tricking users into sharing more personal data than they …

52 out of 53 top Indian apps use dark patterns to deceive users; Netflix, Ola, Swiggy included in ASCI report
4 months, 3 weeks ago

52 out of 53 top Indian apps use dark patterns to deceive users; Netflix, Ola, Swiggy included in ASCI report

The Hindu  

Almost all the top Indian apps are deploying deceptive design practices which impact user autonomy and informed decision-making by users, a study released on Thursday said. The deceptive patterns discovered include privacy deception, interface interference, drip pricing, and false urgency, an official statement issued by the advertising industry's self-regulatory body said. Privacy deception emerged as the most prevalent deceptive pattern, …

Algorithmic Collusions: Fixing Price Without Human Intervention
6 months, 3 weeks ago

Algorithmic Collusions: Fixing Price Without Human Intervention

News 18  

Dark patterns are everywhere; awareness of algorithms as they manipulate online behaviour is one of the most researched areas for platform companies. Despite a Ministry of Consumer Affairs rule specifically prohibiting artificial scarcity as a dark pattern, travel sites continue to use that. Now, every kind of e-commerce site actively uses dark patterns despite the government’s clear instruction to ban …

NLSIU Bangalore: Panel Discussion On “Unveiling The Shadows: Exploring Dark Patterns In The Realm Of Consumer Protection Law” [10th Feb]
10 months, 2 weeks ago

NLSIU Bangalore: Panel Discussion On “Unveiling The Shadows: Exploring Dark Patterns In The Realm Of Consumer Protection Law” [10th Feb]

Live Law  

The panel discussion aims to shed light on the pervasive use of dark patterns in the digital landscape and their implications for consumer protection laws. By bringing together experts from legal, academics, consumer advocacy and e-commerce fields, the discussion will explore the challenges posed by dark patterns and potential strategies to address them within the framework of Guidelines for Prevention …

The Absurdity of Static Public Policy in Dynamic, Digital ‘Dark Patterns’
11 months, 1 week ago

The Absurdity of Static Public Policy in Dynamic, Digital ‘Dark Patterns’

News 18  

We are all victims of dark patterns every single time we enter the digital domain. ‘Dark patterns’—platforms’ clever and manipulative techniques designed to skew behaviour in favour of the platform, typically— underscore the urgency of facing this issue. A lenient or “soft” approach towards platforms isn’t unique to Indian regulatory bodies—it’s a universal concern among regulators due to the significant …

Companies’ deceptive ‘dark patterns’ online cost you money. Here’s how to fight back
1 year ago

Companies’ deceptive ‘dark patterns’ online cost you money. Here’s how to fight back

LA Times  

Companies make it easy to subscribe to their services — and frustratingly hard to unsubscribe. These are just a few examples of “dark patterns,” intentionally deceptive designs that companies use to steer people into making choices that aren’t in the consumers’ best interest. Dark patterns may sound like a feature of sketchy websites, but these manipulative practices are a common …

Regulating Dark Patterns; A Step to Fortify Consumer Autonomy?
1 year ago

Regulating Dark Patterns; A Step to Fortify Consumer Autonomy?

Live Law  

On 30th November, 2023, the Central Consumer Protection Authority notified guidelines for the prevention and regulation of dark patterns fortifying consumers' interest. Hence, the regulation of dark patterns, which is a quintessential modern-day problem, is set in the background of unfair trade practices and the CCPA's effort to curb it. In addition to it, the Digital Services Act, the Digital …

Centre to launch software to detect dark patterns used by firms on web
1 year, 1 month ago

Centre to launch software to detect dark patterns used by firms on web

Hindustan Times  

The Union government will launch the world’s first software to detect dark patterns on the Internet, which are tricks tech companies use to get users to click features that benefit the company, consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said. Union government to launch a software to detect dark patterns on the internet, says consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh. The …

Centre to stop sites from weaving ‘dark patterns’ to mislead buyers
1 year, 3 months ago

Centre to stop sites from weaving ‘dark patterns’ to mislead buyers

The Hindu  

The Centre has sought public comments on the draft guidelines for prevention and regulation of “dark patterns,” on the Internet, particularly in e-commerce platforms. The guidelines include ways to prevent and regulate false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription trap and more such “dark patterns”. What are dark patterns The draft guidelines has defined dark patterns as “any …

How Financial Apps Get You to Spend More and Question Less
4 years, 4 months ago

How Financial Apps Get You to Spend More and Question Less

Wired  

Depending on your income, there’s a good chance you can file your taxes online for free. It’s an extreme example of what UX experts call “dark patterns,” a term that consultant Harry Brignull coined and is used to describe user interface design that “makes it very easy to get into a situation but very hard to get out.” A popular …

The Subtle Tricks Shopping Sites Use to Make You Spend More
4 years, 4 months ago

The Subtle Tricks Shopping Sites Use to Make You Spend More

Wired  

Back in April, when much of the United States was still sheltering in place, Amazon made an extraordinary decision. Last year, researchers from Princeton University and the University of Chicago published a study looking at roughly 11,000 shopping sites, and found dark patterns on more than 11 percent of them, including major retailers like Fashion Nova and J.C. Penney. “Design …

How to Spot—and Avoid—Dark Patterns on the Web
4 years, 4 months ago

How to Spot—and Avoid—Dark Patterns on the Web

Wired  

Every day, you use apps and services that were carefully crafted by teams of professional designers to deliver the best user experience possible. The term “dark patterns” was first coined by UX specialist Harry Brignull to describe the ways in which software can subtly trick users into doing things they didn’t mean to do, or discouraging behavior that’s bad for …

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