As a larger proportion of our lives moves onto the web, so does important and valuable information. This has led to an increase in different kinds of manipulative patterns (dark patterns) in web design with the sole purpose of being deceptive and tricking users. This paper discusses the comprehensive suite of deceptive design patterns on Internet services where the users are expected to comply with the use of cookies. This was done by analyzing 50 different home cooking recipe websites, regarding their appliance to GDPR and how they use different dark patterns in their design. Even though legislation tries to move the choices from the website to the user, it is clear that by using deceptive design patterns it is possible to “bypass” the legislation and trick the user into making a favorable choice for the owners behind the website. The results show that out of the websites that were GDPR approved, a majority still use two types of deceptive design patterns - misdirection and sneak into basket.
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Deceptive Design: Cookie Consent and Manipulative Patterns
This paper discusses how deceptive design patterns, or “dark patterns,” are used on websites, specifically concerning cookie consent. The researchers analyzed 50 home cooking recipe websites and found that even among those compliant with GDPR, a majority still employed misdirection and sneak into basket dark patterns to influence user choices.