Deceptive Patterns
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Carfax: Defaults to opt-in for email lists and makes opt-out inconspicuous

Author
Dark Patterns Tip Line
Date
28 Sept 2020

“Companies may choose certain options by default such as privacy settings and pre-checking boxes that opt-people into email lists. These options are likely not the default that people may have chosen on their own. The screenshot was gathered from a Reddit user u/dbilbey to the Asshole Design subreddit community in September 2020.”

Carfax was reported to the Deceptive Design Tip Line over its default account settings. According to the report, companies may set certain options by default, such as privacy settings and pre-ticked boxes that opt people into email lists, and these are likely not the choices people would have made for themselves.