Dark patterns, also known as deceptive design or deceptive patterns, are essentially tricks. Websites and apps use dark patterns to manipulate users into making decisions they wouldn’t have otherwise ...

Some business practices on the internet may not be against the law, but they undermine or manipulate consumer choice. Legal advocates have coined a new name for this practice: dark patterns. Difficult ...

Tech companies, subscription apps and e-commerce sites have for years used subtle tricks to nudge people toward a decision or purchase they might not otherwise make. There's even a name for the ...

We have all encountered them, in both our personal and professional lives. Think about the times you felt tricked or frustrated by a membership or subscription that had a seamless signup process but ...

It’s happened to all of us. You’re browsing online and a pop-up appears, blocking the entire screen and urging you to enter your email in exchange for 10% off. You look for the “X” to close the window ...

Even if you’ve never heard the term “dark pattern” before, you’ve likely come across one. Consumer Reports provides a list of examples in a tweet, and on the tip line’s site, but there are entire ...

MORE. IT’S A TERM THAT’S BEEN USED IN THE ONLINE WORLD FOR A FEW YEARS NOW, BUT NOW FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION IS TRYING TO SHINE SOME LIGHT ON WHAT ARE KNOWN AS DARK PATTERNS USE TO TRICK YOU INTO ...

The greenwashing campaign will educate consumers to ask critical questions around sustainability claims, the decoding of eco-labels ...

“When it comes to the digital sphere, we want to make it fair. It’s shocking that on average 60% of websites did not comply with basic consumer rules between 2007 and 2019…. This is why we want to ...

Dark patterns are design elements that deliberately obscure, mislead, coerce and/or deceive website visitors into making unintended and possibly harmful choices. Dark patterns can be found in many ...

Nick is a Features author who's been writing for fellow tech geeks since 2011. While he's mostly focused on phones, he's also thrilled by cameras and audio gear of all shapes and sizes. On weekends, ...