Deceptive Patterns
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‘Dark Patterns’: Online Manipulation of Consumers

Author
Lior J. Strahilevitz
Date
10 Sept 2020
Publisher
University of Chicago Law School
Focus
Recommended Reading, Law & Policy
Category
Academic Scholar

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.

Firms exploit consumers’ cognitive biases to manipulate them into buying goods or services they do not want. Professor Strahilevitz describes the use of one particular strategy—“Dark Patterns”—and explains how it differs from more familiar forms of manipulative sales behavior. He presents his new experimental research on Dark Patterns manipulations, examines their troubling effectiveness, and assesses the role of market forces and legal regulation in constraining their use.