Reading list

"No, I don't like savings"

For those of you that don’t know, Fast is a one-click and login checkout tool. To date, they’ve been primarily focused on ecommerce sites which puts them up against the likes of Shop Pay, Apple Pay and other simple purchase solutions...

Academic analysis of how Fortnite is using its platform to manipulate users.

Really disappointed in @humble for this UI design. The "add to cart" button adds a monthly subscription but is strategically placed to make users believe it will just get them the bundle instead. Not cool, @humble. You should be ashamed of yourselves.

Wow, the dark patterns in Windows to keep you on Edge are quite something. Search bing for Chrome leads to huge banner promo for Edge. Changing the default browser pops up promo for Edge.

Hey @figmadesign, could you please tell people that they're being charged extra money if they submit this form with the "can edit" option? And maybe explain your pricing model INSIDE the app?

Data sales begin April 26 unless you opt out; T-Mobile claims it'll be anonymous.

Yeah, unfortunately @talkspace @Headspace and @betterhelp are not therapy providers — they are data brokers mining your most intimate conversations & reselling them to 3rd parties incl. advertisers. You should not use them under any circumstances.

This is how the software company does its best to raise the threshold for purchasing a cloud service. You can’t get out of the contract without talking to the “customer success team”.

Look at this dark pattern bullshit. Finding the skip button isn't supposed to be a game.

Received a surprise bill of $700+ USD from @confluentinc I believe I got this bill due to dark patterns in UX and I think Confluent can do *much better* to treat their customers right.

Over 680 trackers and options for one webpage. "Accept all" or open each single item from a dropdown to opt-out. This is insane.

When engagement metrics drive the decision. On the left, Twitter’s email with the direct message text included. On the right, LinkedIn’s email forcing me to open the app to see the message. Drives me Bananas every time!

When turning off data collection on Xiaomi phones, you need to turn off every single system app and in between you need to wait 10 seconds.

The third-party cookie is dying, and Google is trying to create its replacement. No one should mourn the death of the cookie as we know it.

The 'platformisation' of the games industry is posing some serious challenges for Europe and the internet at large.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) released the following statement after Governor Ralph Northam signed the Consumer Data Protection Act into state law:

Is there any other well known SaaS company besides @asana that charges per-seat pricing but uses this dark pattern

What's the difference between Zipcar's $7, $8, and $10 plans?

New York Times makes it intentionally difficult and time consuming to cancel subscription. #forcedcontinuance i finally had to cancel my credit card after trying on chat 3 times, being made to wait and "dropped service". For Shame

Samsung's stock health app now showing ads on a friend's Samsung S9 phone, which he bought for hundreds of €.

EPIC has filed a complaint with the D.C. Attorney General alleging that Amazon unlawfully employs manipulative "dark patterns" in the Amazon Prime subscription cancellation process.

This is the worst cookie permissions menu I've seen. You can't tell what is turned on and what is off. The default when the menu opens up is the top three, with off in gray. When you click on off, you see both off and on without a gray filter. So is this on or off?

Font size can be the difference between compliance and a class action lawsuit

so quartz won't even tell you how much it charges for a subscription unless you give it your email, which automatically subscribes you to a newsletter

The 11-month old audio social network is compelling. It also has some very grown-up problems.

Hidden Subscription on http://wsjwine.com. Selecting the WSJwine Advantage option does not reveal the recurring subscription of $89 unless "Learn More" is clicked on.

Hidden Subscription on http://ross-simons.com. Joining the VIP Rewards Club does not reveal the recurring subscription of $95 unless "Terms and conditions" is clicked on.

Countdown Timer on http://justfab.com. In this instance, the stated offer is valid even after the hour long timer expires.

Activity Notification on http://thredup.com highlighting the names and locations of those who purchased the product. The message always signals sold products as "just saved", regardless of the real recency.

Low-stock Message on http://orthofeet.com. The message does not disclose the quantity in stock to users and appears for all products on the website.

Confirmshaming on http://radioshack.com. The option to dismiss the popup is framed to shame the user into avoiding it.

Visual Interference on http://greenfingers.com. The opt-out option is grayed out to indicate it is disabled or cannot be clicked, when it can.

Low-stock Message on http://6pm.com. Choosing product options shows Only 3 left in stock. The out-of-stock message makes it always seem that the item just sold out.

Trick Questions on http://newbalance.co.uk. Normally, checkboxes are designed to be ticked to opt in. In this case however, the user is required to tick to opt out.

Activity Notification on http://jcpenney.com highlighting the number of people who viewed the product in the last day.

Countdown Timer in a popup displayed on http://leesa.com. In this instance, the stated offer is valid even after the half hour long timer expires.

Testimonials on http://spanx.com. The website does not disclose how these were sourced, or whether they were submitted by actual customers.

Limited Time on http://samsung.com. The website states that the deal is "Limited Time Only" without disclosing the deal's deadline.

Pressured Selling on http://topcoat.store. On adding a product to cart, a popup appears asking the user to upgrade their purchase.

Clubhouse, the new audio-based social media app... is gaining lots of attention. Part of its popularity comes from it being pegged as the next social media giant. Beyond the hype, its epic product privacy failures are what warrants scrutiny.

An exchange between Congresswoman Cindy Axne of Iowa and CEO of Robinhood Vlad Tenev "opened a window into a sick business model on Wall Street that is pumping out billionaires like Citadel’s Ken Griffin while seducing young people with the gamification of trading."

"Great limited time deal on http://fabletics.com @Fabletics. Oh wait... It's a #darkpattern. The countdown timer resets every time you refresh the page."

Transcript of a 17 minute chat log of a consumer trying to cancel their New York Times subscription.

Although it is possible to stop notifications via the iOS operating system settings, if the user goes into the settings area of the clubhouse app, they are only able to temporarily pause notifications.

Despite the user already having chosen their preferred web browser and search engine, Microsoft forces users to consider switching to Edge and Bing. If the user is not paying attention, they may mistakenly opt in to this change.

News article summarising the findings from the research paper "Price Salience and Product Choice". "StubHub concluded that so-called “drip pricing” [...] resulted in people spending about 21% more."

"In today's video, we will go through dark patterns in UI and UX. These patterns are often misleading and almost blackmailing in nature. They make you feel bad about certain decisions you take and only benefit the business."

Des fenêtres de navigation qui s’ouvrent inopinément, des couleurs criardes qui attirent l’œil, des caractères minuscules… Internet est rempli de désagréments en tout genre. Tout ceci est savamment conçu pour piéger l’internaute et porte un nom : les dark patterns. Explications.

A not-for-profit project building a collaborative, online directory of ethical companies of all kinds.

The meaning of a "tick" is not described (does it mean opt in, or opt out?). This ambiguity will drive higher opt-in rates.

This paper provides the end-user perspective of the felt manipulation without directly using the language of dark patterns, but the examples illustrating some strategies that align with dark patterns defined in the literature.

This paper introduces the concept of "Asshole Design" and described the properties of asshole designers. The most related part of this paper is the authors differentiating dark patterns to asshole design properties, emphasizing the definition of dark patterns in relation to bad designs, value-centered, and asshole designs.

This report argues that TikTok does not comply with the GDPR in a number of ways.

A new California law (the California Privacy Rights Act) prohibits efforts to trick consumers into handing over data or money. A bill in Washington state (SB 5062 - 2021-22) used similar language.

"UX doesn't live up to its original meaning of 'user experience.' Instead, much of the discipline today, as it's practiced in Big Tech firms, is better described by a new name. UX is now 'user exploitation.'"

This high calorie snack is packaged in a deceptive manner by prominently showing a calorie count that appears to be for the whole packet, but upon closer inspection is just for a small portion. Further information is hidden using illegible text.

"...this one nearly got me. @trello really wants you to use their free trial... the start without is juuust below your view."

"I learned about a new feature Lyft quietly rolled out a few months ago. Drivers hate it. It's called priority mode and Lyft pitches it to drivers as a way to "stay busy... We'll prioritize you over other drivers." But it comes with a 10% pay cut."

The Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbv) filed a complaint against “advocado”, an online service that helps people find a lawyer. With its lawsuit, the consumer protection group challenged the use of dark patterns in cookie banners used.

"Getting desperate now? This came up when I opened the @YouTube app. I don't want premium. I don't want a trial. I've said that at least a hundred times so far, now this without even a close button. Talk about @darkpatterns

The German "expat community" website @Internationsorglures their members into automatically renewing membership subscription plans & charges their credit cards without prior notification for yearly membership fees. If an @Internationsorg member decides not willing to accept that the Albatross membership was automatically renewed, they force their #darkpatterns on them by hiding the "downgrade" & "delete profile" options from the user interface & threat their members with debt collectors.

The Norwegian Consumer Council’s study analysed the cancellation process for Amazon Prime. The analysis shows that consumers who want to leave the service are faced with a large number of hurdles, including complicated navigation menus, skewed wording, confusing choices, and repeated nudging. Throughout the process, Amazon manipulates users through wording and graphic design, making the process needlessly difficult and frustrating to understand.

The CPRA defines a “dark pattern” as “a user interface designed or manipulated with the substantial effect of subverting or impairing user autonomy, decision-making, or choice” and clarifies that it should be “further defined by regulation.

This is a very long legal agreement that the user can only read 10 lines at a time, making it more likely for users to give up and proceed, unawares of the content of the document.

"First, the CPRA adds a new definition of "consent" to the CCPA. The new definition explicitly states that "[A]greement obtained through the use of dark patterns does not constitute consent." Then, paralleling the definitions from Deceived by Design and the DETOUR Act, the CPRA defines a "dark pattern" as "a user interface designed or manipulated with the substantial effect of subverting or impairing user autonomy, decision-making, or choice, as further defined by regulation." Finally, the law directs that regulations regarding the sale or sharing of personal information ensure that a business obtaining consumer consent to such sale or sharing "does not make use of any dark patterns.""

"Legitimate Interest sounds like "you say no, but we're making it legitimate to track you". So I don't consent but you still have a legitimate right to have relationship with my privacy? How does that work? 🤔"

The traditional square stop-button has been disappearing from media players across the board. This seems like a deliberate trend; a subtle tactic to keep you "captive" - don't present the user with any obvious option to stop watching and they will be less likely to think to.

Google appear to be tricking the user into 'enabling YouTube history' (in this case it had been disabled) so that the user can then 'choose an auto-delete option' for that history.

"Before you use, or subscribe to @Baremetrics, please make sure you read this. This happened today. I went to their app to try & unsubscribe because we feel that Stripe's own dashboard is good enough for us after they added reporting specifically.

On 21 January 2019, the CNIL’s restricted committee imposed a financial penalty of 50 Million euros against the company GOOGLE LLC, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), for lack of transparency, inadequate information and lack of valid consent regarding the ads personalization.

Maybe don't say there's a chance to get a 25% discount when its literally impossible

"@myoddballs Maybe don't say there's a chance to get a 25% discount when its literally impossible"

If the user attempts to click go, the cookie pop-up may appear directly below their cursor just as they are about to click, causing them to inadvertently opt in to tracking.

When you try to find the unsubscribe button from peacock emails. Dark gray on a dark black background.

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.

In the last days, the most recent Instagram update has been in the news for the worst reasons. Many users and influencers have publicly spoken out their dissatisfaction, namely James Charles, who, in a rant video, advised his followers not to update their apps.

Google Calendar has always had a "Add Google Meet / Google Hangout" option on calendar meeting invites, but recently auto-adds the Google Meet if you add others to the calendar invite, without any notification.

"Video about the difference between dark patterns & things badly designed by accident. With some hilarious examples of bad design"

Upgraded to iOS 14. Apple says "setup hey Siri" and has "setup later in settings" under it in small text Tap that, then continue with normal Siri Giant red 1 on settings Have to repeat above Also have to reenable dictation on my keyboard.

Marktplaats.nl saves your email and spams you even if you don’t finish registering for an account

Before the American election we compared the experience of donating money to Donald Trump vs Joe Biden through their websites. Who uses dark patterns to trick users into donating more?

The account deletion process requires the user to check their email. This makes the process unnecessarily difficult.

"A group of researchers at Princeton University’s Center for Information Technology Policy (CITP) has just published the findings of its research into a collection of 100,000 political emails, including those from the Trump campaign. It found that the majority of emails used “dark patterns” to manipulate voters and trick donors."

Beekting.com provides customers with instructions on how to create fake notifications that play on cognitive biases.

Like millions of others, Netflix r̶e̶c̶o̶m̶m̶e̶n̶d̶e̶d̶ autoplayed The Social Dilemma documentary to my iPhone, and it made an impression.

Deceptive food packaging is everywhere. This packaging recommends that you eat 4 biscuits as part of a "balanced breakfast" but the calorie figures are for an 11.25g serving, which turns out to be just a single biscuit.

"Whereas some campaigns might communicate with supporters for the purpose of grass-roots organizing, the Trump emails I receive have only one purpose: to gin up contributions. And the solicitations are unlike any I’ve ever seen. Tonally, they diverge wildly from those of past presidential campaigns — or from anything that might be termed “presidential” at all."

Tesla owner says he butt-dialed a $4,280 Autopilot upgrade — and is still waiting on a refund. Dr. Ali Vaziri says he was charged for a $4,280 software upgrade for his Tesla without even being aware of opening the app. Other Tesla users have reported similar problems.

Psychology Today website is a roach motel. You can't remove your credit card info, you can only change it. There is no way to stop the service through their website interface. Have to contact them to get it stopped.

FT.com, making it very easy to sign up for a monthly charge of 28 € instead of cancelling subscription which was my intended purpose.

I'm pretty sure I observed a dark pattern with Spectrum cable's support chat. If I am right, they're trying to weed out people by making them wait as a sort of barrier to using chat.

An interaction criticism analysis of dark patterns in consent banners.

This website uses a privacy management tool called TrustArc which makes it much slower to opt out of tracking than to opt in.

When confirming preferences to 'Allow Apps to Request to Track', the text is confusing and does not make it clear whether apps are not allowed to track the user, or won’t have to ask before tracking them.

Running and cycling app Strava's Flyby privacy settings are automatically set to be shared with everyone. Thus users passing one another will be tagged in each other's runs, and able to access their full name, picture and a map of their running route.

In this video Professor Lior J. Strahilevitz presents new experimental research on Dark Patterns. He examines their effectiveness, and assesses the role of market forces and legal regulation in constraining their use.

"A new study out of Princeton shows that the vast majority of campaigns use dark patterns and clickbait subject lines to beg for donations."

"At a time when many parents are looking for more opportunities for educational enrichment online, it is disappointing that services like ABCmouse have scammed millions of dollars from families through dark patterns, as alleged in the Commission’s complaint. By making it extremely difficult to cancel recurring subscription fees, ABCmouse engaged in conduct that was not only unethical, but also illegal."

Children’s Online Learning Program ABCmouse failed to disclose important information to consumers, leading many consumers to be renewed & charged for memberships without their consent