Why Publishers Need To Stop Using Dark Patterns Now

It’s such a shame it’s come to this, but DARK PATTERNS are a reality, and all the Big Tech web sites use it.  You should never have to put up with such sinister intentions.

Julie Rubash, chief privacy counsel at Sourcepoint has pulled together a super article about Dark Patterns that everyone should read . . . she writes :

Dark patterns – or website designs that manipulate users into performing specific actions – are widespread these days. In fact, one recent study from Princeton examined 11,000 shopping websites and found 1,818 instances and 15 different types of dark patterns.

It is a long and detailed article that is a real eye-opener.  Once you read it, you’ll be recognizing dark patterns everywhere you go on the web.  Julie continues . . .

<quote> As this practice becomes more common, legislators are taking action. In 2020, the U.S. federal government introduced the Deceptive Experiences To Online Users Reduction Act (the DETOUR Act). If enacted, the legislation would make dark patterns punishable under the FTC Act. Then, in 2021, California and Colorado signed consumer privacy laws that stated dark patterns were insufficient to meet the definition of “consent.” And, most recently, the French data protection authority, the CNIL, fined Google and Facebook $238 million for what regulators deemed to be confusing cookie consent experiences. <end quote>

Thank you Julie, and thanks to all readers joining us today.  Make sure you go and read :

Step Into The Light: Why Publishers Need To Stop Using Dark Patterns Now