Hall of shame

Hundreds of examples of deceptive patterns used by companies around the world.

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You can't use @Bluebirdgroup app unless you turn on OS notifications.

Bluebird Group
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darkpatterns
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September 7, 2023

@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

Programiz PRO
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khajimatov
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September 5, 2023

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.

JPMorgan Chase
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walid
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September 1, 2023

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.

Amazon
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cameronsmith
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August 22, 2023

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.

Peloton
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chrislepensky
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August 22, 2023

Dark patterns in privacy. There are at least 3 problems with this EU-based cookie banner, can you spot them?

The Sun
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LuizaJarovsky
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August 22, 2023

‘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.’

Microsoft
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Andrew Cunningham
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August 22, 2023

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. 😠

Facebook
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PatFlynn
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August 21, 2023

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

Figma
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kyleturman
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August 19, 2023

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.'"

Youtube
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Thomas Claburn
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August 18, 2023

Wall Street Journal requires it users to go on a date with a reporter to cancel its subscription

Wall Street Journal
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soren_iverson
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August 18, 2023

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.

Skype
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benthompson
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August 18, 2023

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:

Ekster
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RobertFreundLaw
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August 17, 2023

Coglode Cures - Interactive Behavioural Remedies

Amazon
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Coglode - Cookbook
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August 17, 2023

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.

Spaceship
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felixthehat
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August 17, 2023

You can choose to turn on your watch history to get recommended videos, or stick with a simpler home page.

Youtube
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Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
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August 9, 2023

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.

Meta
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Betsy Reed
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August 7, 2023

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.

Zoom
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darkpatterns
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August 6, 2023

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.

HP
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Adi Robertson
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August 4, 2023

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

WeBuyAnyPhone
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DavidOfYork
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August 4, 2023

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

Scribd
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nicheplays
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August 3, 2023

Enough with the BS dark patterns! @TheAthletic cc: @darkpatterns

The Athletic
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thedbeaudoin
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August 3, 2023

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.

Twitter
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danbarker
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August 3, 2023

3/n Next I dealt with @British_Airways deceptive design pattern approach to pushing surveillance cookies (misleading emphasis) cc @darkpatterns #UI #fail

British Airways
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cpltalk
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August 3, 2023

I thought the unsubscribe button might have been black on black but… there is literally none! @figma @darkpatterns

Figma
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mthvrs
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August 3, 2023

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.

Comcast
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Xfinity
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mihaimaruseac
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August 2, 2023

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

Daily Express
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PrivacyMatters
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August 2, 2023

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

Thrive with KP
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spjika
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August 1, 2023

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.

Humble Bundle
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ItsCovarr
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August 1, 2023

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.

Crunchyroll
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BritonBaker
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July 31, 2023

@darkpatterns Nonsensical unsubscribe button and check boxes. Am I unsubscribing by checking or subscribing? (Specscart)

Specscart
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lenainbros
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July 29, 2023

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.

Dominos
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PhonicUK
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July 28, 2023

. @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

Publishers Clearing House
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Amanda Beane, Wonji Kerper & Nathan Kosnoff
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July 25, 2023

. @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.

Shutterstock
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lissijean
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July 24, 2023

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'

Patient
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PrivacyMatters
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July 19, 2023
MasterClass
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ivanbelcic
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July 19, 2023

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!

Meta
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airavn
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July 17, 2023

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:

Amazon
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TTP_updates
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July 10, 2023

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.

Instagram
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Sarang Sheth
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July 7, 2023

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.

Ultra Fast Keto Boost
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RobertFreundLaw
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July 7, 2023

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

Instagram
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Charissa Cheong
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July 6, 2023

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.

Adobe
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MikeCalcagno
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July 5, 2023

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.

Ubiquiti
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leyrer
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July 5, 2023

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.

SiriusXM Canada
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fastpuppy
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July 5, 2023

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:

Foot Locker
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RobertFreundLaw
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July 4, 2023

If you have a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, browser links from the Outlook app will open in Microsoft Edge by default”

Microsoft
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darkpatterns
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June 27, 2023

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.

Publishers Clearing House
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Greg Iacurci
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June 26, 2023

Classic @darkpatterns from @smh this should be illegal. Or, they can ask you to sign up over the phone too!

Sydney Morning Herald
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JoelDignam
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June 22, 2023

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"

Amazon
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Annie Palmer
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June 21, 2023

Adore Me lured consumers into their VIP Membership Program without being upfront about the automatic charges and membership terms

Adore Me
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The Fashion Law
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June 20, 2023

Extremely transparent dark patterns @darkpatterns 50% × £17.99 = ...

Tinder
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siberianpine
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June 19, 2023

Dark patterns are everywhere. We just accept them as tools of engagement!

The Times
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SuB8u
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June 18, 2023
No items found.
answrguy
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June 17, 2023

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

Linkedin
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AzureAndChill
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June 17, 2023

. @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.

Steinberg
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EricE549
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June 17, 2023

Check out this level 9000 @darkpatterns on NextDoor

Nextdoor_UK
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andyhattemer
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June 13, 2023

@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!

Microsoft
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TheSimArchitect
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June 12, 2023

@hangly: your cancellation policy is downright evil. Seriously, couldn't your UX team find any smaller font for that gotcha in your cancellation terms?

Hangly
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SaumikTiwari
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June 8, 2023

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).

KATU News
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BjorklundVictor
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June 5, 2023

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.)

IMDb
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insequential
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June 5, 2023

For the umpteenth time: NO! Remove this dark pattern! @Microsoft

Microsoft
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Steltek
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June 4, 2023

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.

Kaiser Permanente
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torquetastic
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June 2, 2023

Why are you using these annoying dark patterns @StreamOnMax to try to force me to watch trailers? (cc @darkpatterns )

Max
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MarijnSax
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May 31, 2023

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.

Instagram
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carlhendy
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May 30, 2023

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.

Notion
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JunyuDesign
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May 28, 2023

Have you seen this £15 a month for a cash back reward dark pattern being used by Dominos and Papa Johns?

Papa Johns
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ClaydenChambers
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May 28, 2023

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.

HP
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Scharon Harding
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May 27, 2023

Check out the length of the delay when the user clicks "decline all". This is @StarbucksUK using @TrustArc .

Starbucks
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TrustArc
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darkpatterns
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May 25, 2023

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.

Microsoft
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wdormann
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May 24, 2023

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.

Adobe
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GergelyOrosz
|
May 23, 2023

"I have to accept all cookies in order to unsubscribe from
@IBKR marketing emails (and get similar behaviour with the website in general)"

Interactive Brokers
|
|
April 19, 2023

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

NowTV
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Thisistomok
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April 19, 2023

Typeform makes it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions. This analysis by growth.design unpacks the issues and provides recommendations.

Typeform
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Benoni & Lavallee
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April 19, 2023

Dominos and Pizza Hut use deceptive patterns in a confusing system of discount codes and deal finders, subtly overcharging customers.

Dominos
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Pizza Hut
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Peter Ramsey
|
April 18, 2023

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".

True Classic
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Thisistomok
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April 16, 2023

A proposed class action alleges Vimeo automatically renews consumers’ subscription plans without first making certain disclosures required under California law.

Vimeo
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Kelly Mehorter
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April 13, 2023

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.

Der Standard newspaper
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Noyb
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April 11, 2023

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?

Adobe
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Deceptive Design
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September 19, 2022
Unknown
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Tim Ranzetta
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September 18, 2022

"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"

Nike
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Tom
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September 15, 2022

"For context: following a dialogue with @EU_Commission & national consumer authorities, Amazon agreed to make changes to its Prime cancellation procedure in July 2022"

Amazon
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Constanta Rosca
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September 12, 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."

TrustArc
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Starbucks
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Chris Corbett
|
September 11, 2022

"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."

Samsung
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Arvid Kahl
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September 10, 2022

This appears to be an example of the IAB's controversial "Transparency and Consent Framework".

IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau)
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DZ-Aladan
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September 9, 2022

"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..."

Figma
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Quolum
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September 8, 2022

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

Tiktok
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Catalina Goanta
|
September 4, 2022

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.

Credit Karma
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Tanasia Kenney
|
September 2, 2022

Nextdoor UK uses trick wording and misdirection, making it difficult for a user to understand how to unsubscribe.

Nextdoor_UK
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Ed Horsford
|
August 21, 2022

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.

Facebook
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Instagram
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Tiktok
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Lukasz Olejnik
|
August 19, 2022

"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. "

New York Times
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Techdirt
|
August 19, 2022
Sedo
|
Harry Bailey
|
August 18, 2022
Trump
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Ron Filipkowski
|
August 17, 2022
Moonpig
|
Ben
|
August 17, 2022

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.

Amazon
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Insider
|
August 16, 2022

Wow, didn't know you could pay to continue your broken streak on Duolingo. Not sure how I feel about this.

Duolingo
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Paras Chopra
|
August 16, 2022

"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."

HP
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AssholeDesign
|
August 15, 2022

Treatwell uses trick questions - alternating sentiment for its checkbox labels - to trick users into agreeing to emails or tracking.

Treatwell
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Riccardo
|
August 14, 2022