Facebook

A fantastic report by the Norwegian Consumer Council that explains how tech companies use dark patterns to discourage us from exercising our rights to privacy. Facebook, Google and Windows 10 are named and shamed.

News article responding to the Norwegian Consumer Council's "Deceived by Design" report.

There's a red exclamation mark indicating something is wrong with my Notification Settings. The copy [...] implies that Facebook Messenger isn't allowed to use iOS' notification system. [...] But the iOS notifications setting screen [...] show that Facebook Messenger does have access to the iOS notifications system - I just don't have it set up the way Facebook wants me to."

The instagram redesign involved moving a new shopping button to where the "like" button used to be, causing many users to tap it by mistake.

Facebook makes it hard for users to leave facebook via their browser's back button.

Facebook switches the style of the "confirm" and "cancel" buttons, which will frequently cause users to mistakenly click the wrong button.

"Facebook users are prompt with a list of friend requests. They start tapping the ‘Confirm’ buttons, repeatedly, one after the other. At some point, the list starts showing suggestions instead of requests, but since the UI is almost identical, users easily miss this important difference, resulting in some unwanted friend requests."

Qualitative evaluation of the consent-obtaining mechanisms implemented and used by the five big tech companies, i.e. Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft (GAFAM)

Instead of the usual blank stories section, Facebook includes “ghost stories” of your friends that haven’t posted a story in a while when there are no stories available. When the user clicks on it it tells the user that your friend hasn’t posted to their story in a while.

Instead of letting users simply deactivate their account, Facebook shows users some of their friends that “would miss them” and also tries to convince the user to stay offering a counter-argument to whatever reason they select.

Social media platforms repeatedly use so-called dark patterns to nudge you toward giving away more of your data.

That Facebook and its #UX#darkpattern When you are on the web, it shows you a message that does not exist to download the messaging app, Hook Model in action.

Facebook's #darkpatterns at work again. I don't have any notifications, yet it keeps showing that I have when I am not logged in.

The user needs to click a small button labelled "..." then select "Decline", then ignore the main button (despite it being the thing they requested) and select the less obvious secondary button labelled "Confirm".

Following investigations, the CNIL noted that the websites facebook.com, google.fr and youtube.com do not make refusing cookies as easy as to accept them. It thus fines FACEBOOK 60 million euros and GOOGLE 150 million euros and orders them to comply within three months.

"In order to refuse the deposit of cookies,m internet users must click on a button entitled "Accept cookies", displayed in the second window."

This study examines Facebook's issues by analyzing leaked documents and published news articles. It outlines the dark patterns that the company has applied, and discusses how they promote toxic behavior, hate speech and disinformation.

"fun lil deceptive UI pattern from (apparently desperate) F*cebook this morning: I updated my phone & shortly after got a push notification from FB - I’ve had those turned entirely off for at least 3-4 years! so I go spelunking in the settings…"

"A 6 minute video below that explains how Facebook's UI employs dark patterns that make users share more data than they may intend."

Do not browse the web in in-app browsers (e.g. in apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok). Experience is bad. Those apps also INJECT TRACKING INSTRUCTIONS. They control every interaction, all that is typed, clicked... Browse with normal web browsers.

Just found out that if you want to delete a Facebook Group you're in charge of, you have to manually remove every member one-by-one until you're the last one left, and then you have the option to remove/delete it. This is insanely asinine. 😠

""Use this activity" is an unusual choice of words, huh. (screenshot from @facebook yesterday)"

"EU opens child safety probes of Facebook and Instagram, citing addictive design concerns"

"This is Facebooks confirmation when you ask to see fewer posts of a particular type. For a while appears to be shorthand for our algorithm doesnt care how you feel about this sort of content, it may decide to show you it again soon and theres nothing you can d..."