You can't use @Bluebirdgroup app unless you turn on OS notifications.
@Programiz disabled the input and button on the unsubscribe page to prevent users from unsubscribing!? check it out at this link: https://programiz.pro/unsubscribe @darkpatterns
Forced arbitration clauses are a fancy way for companies to force customers to waive their right to go to court when they’re cheated. And @JPMorgan @Chase just snuck them back into the fine print of their credit cards.
I can't believe this dark pattern is still being used by @amazon . If you're quickly clicking it looks like this button provides two options - continuing with Amazon Prime or continuing with normal delivery. If you do click this button by accident, you'll be automatically subscribed to Amazon Prime. There is no easy way to undo the subscription. So gross.
Pausing your @onepeloton membership is really made to be a painful experience. Making you re-setup the bike to use basic functionality like you just formatted it. Plus the dark patterns just to change your membership.
Dark patterns in privacy. There are at least 3 problems with this EU-based cookie banner, can you spot them?
‘This process is annoying enough the first time, but at some point down the line, you'll also be offered […] the "second chance out-of-box experience," , which will try to get you to do all of this stuff again if you skipped some of it the first time.’
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. 😠
just got hit with my first surprise @figma billing where it added two editors to my bill and charged automatically when all I did was give them file permissions on one file. wild to me how a company who does so much good for the community still hasn’t fixed this dark pattern
Adalytics alleges that YouTube appears to set long-lasting cookies specifically for users who are watching videos labeled "for kids." It also suggested that serves “targeted ads on YouTube videos that are clearly labeled as 'for kids.'"
Wall Street Journal requires it users to go on a date with a reporter to cancel its subscription
Skype is sending this notification once per day. For a communications app to abuse notifications in this way is unconscionable. Of course I can’t turn them off. I just have to endure the abuse. Absolute shame on Skype and Microsoft.
Here's yet another class action about fake "sale" prices. Remember: using fake reference prices to run sales is illegal under the FTC Act and California's laws. This time, ecommerce wallet brand Ekster is in the crosshairs:
Coglode Cures - Interactive Behavioural Remedies
disappointed by the dark patterns I've encountered over at @spaceship ! pretty weak that you built the ability to upgrade your account but not downgrade.
You can choose to turn on your watch history to get recommended videos, or stick with a simpler home page.
Norway's data privacy watchdog has fined Meta $6.8 million for violating users' privacy by using their personal data to target ads as it failed to get users' consent to use data about their interests to serve them personalized ads.
Users agree to allow Zoom to access and use their Service Generated Data for various purposes, including product development, marketing, analytics, and improving their services, in accordance with applicable laws and this Agreement.
Pay no attention to the USB port behind the “no USB” sticker. Is covering a printer’s USB port with a sticker to push people into wireless printing the worst thing HP does with its hardware? Not remotely.
A double whammy of deceptive patterns from webuyanyphone.com. First, a countdown timer pressuring you to "secure this value" by checking out quickly. Second, a £5 bonus if you sign up for a "free trial" of McAfee, which sets up a recurring subscription. cc: @darkpatterns
This is ridiculous and I hate when companies throw dark patterns at their users to try and trick them into staying subscribed to apps. Very uncool, @Scribd
Enough with the BS dark patterns! @TheAthletic cc: @darkpatterns
The 'Ad' icon placement and wording has changed on Twitter. Because your eye usually automatically scans to the place where it used to be, it's easier to get scammed at the moment by ads like this. Worth being a bit more careful than usual.
3/n Next I dealt with @British_Airways deceptive design pattern approach to pushing surveillance cookies (misleading emphasis) cc @darkpatterns #UI #fail
I thought the unsubscribe button might have been black on black but… there is literally none! @figma @darkpatterns
Hei, @comcast / @Xfinity can we stop with the dark patterns? I just want to cancel service, I don't care to chat with your agents and your bot is just a loop. Just stop the service already.
1/Hello @Daily_Express I notice you're using dark patterns in a dire 'cookie' notice. (a) Defaulted to 'I accept' which would trigger NINE HUNDRED & TEN third party 'partners (b) Clicking 'More options' takes you to window showing a number of purposes set to 'OFF' & a choice of
This is some creepy dark pattern bullshit from @kpthrive . They're using the legally required language to threaten people into allowing them to profit of health data sales and sharing by making it seem as though you are somehow giving up HIPAA protections in order to protect data
Trying to skip a month of @humble Choice is a cacophony of @darkpatterns . Too many steps, alternating button colors to trick you into clicking the wrong thing, inconsistent language, etc.
new dark pattern dropped. Cant cancel your @Crunchyroll account if you replace the cancel button with a "keep subscription" button! X should do this, seems effective.
@darkpatterns Nonsensical unsubscribe button and check boxes. Am I unsubscribing by checking or subscribing? (Specscart)
We should boycott companies like @Dominos_UK that use these kinds of predatory schemes to try and trick people into subscriptions they don't need. Frankly this should be illegal. Especially the dark pattern that makes it look at a glance like it's part of the order process.
. @PerkinsCoieLLP shares details of the $18.5M settlement Publishers Clearing House reached w/ @FTC following allegations of deceptive practices, such as the use of #dark patterns to encourage #sweepstakes entries and purchases. #ConsumerProtection
. @Shutterstock is seriously the worst. I didn’t even know I signed up for an annual sub the way they do dark patterns in their checkout, now they try to hold you hostage by paying $60 to cancel? I haven’t used this in 4 months you got way more than your $60. Awful service.
6/ It really is important to understand that if a person selects 'More Options' then 'Reject All', then 'Save & Exit', those action do NOT disable the 'Legitimate Interest' purposes. A person would need to select 'Legitimate Interest' then select 'OBJECT ALL' & 'Save & Exit'
@darkpatterns get a load of this slimy shit
The Norwegian data protection authority is issuing a ban on Meta's use of surveillance-based advertising. Happy to see some actual enforcement of the GDPR!
A few weeks ago, the FTC accused Amazon of using misleading design features to prevent consumers from cancelling their Prime subscriptions. Let’s break down some of the “dark patterns” the FTC identified:
The Threads app almost immediately displayed a whole bunch of dark patterns with its user interface. We spotted at least 11 of them, and we’re sure there are a lot more to come. Here are some highly evident dark tricks the Threads app is using to ensure you stay on the platform as long as you possibly can… and supply Meta with even more data than before.
Here's an example of how a false advertising claim about "limited supply" representations can survive a pleadings challenge: The makers of "Ultra Fast Keto Boost" ran ads claiming a "limited supply" and urging customers to act quickly.
Apparently you can't delete threads without deleting Instagram. A new form of sludge! @jiayingzhao @R_Thaler @katy_milkman @ideas42 @CassSunstein @stuart_mmills @UofT_BEAR @avicgoldfarb @StephaneCoteTO
Dark pattern from @adobe . There’s no option to skip the trial and just use the free version, so the burden is on the user to remember to cancel.
Nice "dark pattern" there, @Ubiquiti . In the 'app', i MUST create a cloud account. But if I connect to the console via the browser, I can skip that step.
It took over a half an hour of wasted time on the phone with @siriusxmcanada to cancel the other day. Called because of #Overbilling I must have said "please just cancel my account" at least 50 times. Ridiculous.
A lawsuit filed yesterday against Foot Locker accuses the brand of using a "false urgency" dark pattern—claiming items are running out of stock, when they aren't:
If you have a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, browser links from the Outlook app will open in Microsoft Edge by default”
This is our second dark pattern lawsuit over the last week,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said of the PCH lawsuit in a written statement. “Firms that continue to deploy deceptive design techniques are on notice.
Classic @darkpatterns from @smh this should be illegal. Or, they can ask you to sign up over the phone too!
Complaint PDF here:
https://ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/amazon-rosca-public-redacted-complaint-to_be_filed.pdf
"Amazon used an internal term called “Iliad” to describe the process, referencing Homer’s epic poem about the Trojan War"
Adore Me lured consumers into their VIP Membership Program without being upfront about the automatic charges and membership terms
Extremely transparent dark patterns @darkpatterns 50% × £17.99 = ...
Dark patterns are everywhere. We just accept them as tools of engagement!
@darkpatterns Not the worst I’ve seen. But still petty
ever tried to stop email notifications on linkedin? did you know it takes a minimum of navigating 64 menus? it is incredibly user-hostile 1/n @darkpatterns
. @darkpatterns from steinberg, makers of cubase: you have to sign up for their newsletter to download any of their products, even the free ones. other audio plugin developers make you sign up for a newsletter for free downloads too. i've never seen anyone else pull this shit.
Check out this level 9000 @darkpatterns on NextDoor
@windows 10 with another @darkpatterns where it keeps nagging for the user to "finish setting up the PC" when it's more than set up intentionally without an on line account and the screen does NOT have a choice to "not ask this again". Instead it makes you click "remind me later" as if you wanted to be nagged again. Can we stop this, @Microsoft ? It's condescending!
@hangly: your cancellation policy is downright evil. Seriously, couldn't your UX team find any smaller font for that gotcha in your cancellation terms?
Damn if I ever seen a #darkpattern this is it. If you want to decline tracking it claims it takes several minutes and it gives you a huge green button to cancel (=accept tracking).
The wording here (“Update now”) strikes me as something of a @darkpatterns — it almost implies that the app is out of date, and should just be labelled “Subscribe”. (At least the default option is to dismiss the button.)
For the umpteenth time: NO! Remove this dark pattern! @Microsoft
And I’m sure it’s a coincidence that I can pay over the phone and online but in order to get my money back I have to fax or mail @KPMidAtlantic they have so much incentive to just hoard peoples money. Make it as hard as possible to get your money back. Just scammers and thugs.
Why are you using these annoying dark patterns @StreamOnMax to try to force me to watch trailers? (cc @darkpatterns )
Somehow I accidentally clicked something in Instagram and ended up here. There was no way to exit. The only options were to continue synching with my contacts which I didn’t want to do or read more. I had to swipe close the whole app.
Wow, it only took me 20 minutes of searching and watching youtube videos to find the downgrade button in @NotionHQ . The tiny grayed "see all plans" button really helped. Couldn't believe this happened in 2023, there is no better example of dark patterns @darkpatterns than this.
Have you seen this £15 a month for a cash back reward dark pattern being used by Dominos and Papa Johns?
The truth is, Dynamic Security has nothing at all to do with security, and everything to do with frustrating consumers who choose non-HP cartridges in an effort to improve sales of genuine HP cartridges.
Check out the length of the delay when the user clicks "decline all". This is @StarbucksUK using @TrustArc .
In today's episode of @darkpatterns : Microsoft Edge (of course!) If you click "Manage Settings", you'll note that Personalization & advertising is disabled. If you click the seemingly passive "Got it!", you are telling the browser to CHANGE a setting to benefit MS financially.
Adobe is running the exact same dark pattern, even now. It's just too much free money, at the expense of people who think $54.99/month means $54.99/month, and not "commit to an annual plan and pay 12x$54.99/month (or terminate for a massive penalty)." This should not be legal.
"I have to accept all cookies in order to unsubscribe from
@IBKR marketing emails (and get similar behaviour with the website in general)"
I signed up to @NOW at a reduced price of £5.99 (normally £9.99) as part of a 3 month special offer, Today I decided to cancel my subscription, To dissuade me from cancelling my subscription, @NOW threaten to increase my price for the remainder of my contract to the original £9.99. Ironic that NOW is home to characters like Joker and The Night King, cause this is a perfect example of scum and villainy if I’ve ever seen it. @darkpatterns
Typeform makes it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions. This analysis by growth.design unpacks the issues and provides recommendations.
Dominos and Pizza Hut use deceptive patterns in a confusing system of discount codes and deal finders, subtly overcharging customers.
In an apparent effort to boost email open rates, T-shirt vendor True Classic sent a marketing email with the subject line "Appointment Confirmed...". This is forbidden under the CAM-SPAM act Section 5 (a) (2) "Prohibition of deceptive subject headings".
A proposed class action alleges Vimeo automatically renews consumers’ subscription plans without first making certain disclosures required under California law.
Austrian daily newspaper "Der Standard" launched an attempt to circumvent the law: readers had to choose between their data being processed or buying a subscription.
The total annual cost was hidden. The 50% cancellation free was hidden. The clickwrap agreement text was much smaller than the sales text (e.g. "£0.00", "Start free trial"). The cancellation terms were hard to find. Should this be permitted?
A screenshot of an unnamed travel website shows numerous dark patterns in use.
"Just seen a @Nike ad on Instagram advertising Air Max Plus for £99.95 on the Nike app. Download the app and they’re “Older Kids” shoes - the adult ones are the usual £164.95. Deffo intentionally misleading - they know what they’re doing"
This appears to be Argos partnering with
@completesave.
"For context: following a dialogue with @EU_Commission & national consumer authorities, Amazon agreed to make changes to its Prime cancellation procedure in July 2022"
"@Starbucks @TrustArc proof that it doesn't have to take almost a minute to set client side cookies. In the first run I've crippled the timeout, the second run is stock."
"Wow, solid dark pattern here by Samsung: the option on the bottom —reminiscent of a regular “I have read this” prompt— auto-checks the marketing box as well. This is why people don’t trust brands. Don’t do this to your customers the moment they sign up. All potential trust lost."
This appears to be an example of the IAB's controversial "Transparency and Consent Framework".
"We usually expect a $2000 bill per month from Figma, but in July this year, we got a bill for about $20,000 which came to us as a shock..."
Unlike platform ads (contracts between brands-platforms), native ads often have off-platform supply chains. While platforming the latter might be a transparency gain (esp under DSA registration), here TikTok is just playing with performance indicators. The medium is the message
The FTC accused Credit Karma of “deploying dark patterns” to mislead consumers into believing they were pre-approved and had “90% odds” to coax them into applying for credit cards, according to a news release. Nearly a third of users who applied to the “pre-approved” offers were ultimately denied.
An example of the "hard to cancel" dark pattern.
An example of the "hard to cancel" dark pattern.
Nextdoor UK uses trick wording and misdirection, making it difficult for a user to understand how to unsubscribe.
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.
"There’s a spectrum of behavior — some of which is just smart business and tech practices, and some of which is more nefarious. But using the term “dark patterns” to broadly describe anything that we don’t understand, or can’t see that is designed to get you to do something… becomes problematic pretty quickly. "
Nice cookie selection dark pattern from Sedo to start the morning.
"Still raising cash off stealing Top Secret documents."
"How nice of you to hide the unsubscribe link"
The FTC wants Amazon to fork over any disappearing messages that executives used to discuss Prime.The federal agency has been probing Amazon over potentially misleading tactics used to get people to subscribe. Insider reported in March that Amazon execs were worried customers felt tricked into signing up but did nothing.
Wow, didn't know you could pay to continue your broken streak on Duolingo. Not sure how I feel about this.
"Because instant ink bills at the end of each billing cycle, I will receive one final bill for $11.99, plus charges for any additional pages printed. I will lose rollover pages associated with my account."
Treatwell uses trick questions - alternating sentiment for its checkbox labels - to trick users into agreeing to emails or tracking.