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Deceptive Patterns

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GoogleGoogle Demands You Surrender Private Data!“This just popped up on my Google Pixel phone. Would you like to allow us to use your personal purchasing history to do advertising now, or do you want us to keep asking you??”22 Jun 2026·Disco425·Nagging sofaclub.co.ukSofaclub review-gating: they redirect users who give good ratings to Trustpilot, while they redirect users who give bad ratings to their homepage.“if you hit anything less than an 8 it takes you directly to the Sofaclub homepage with no further action required, if you hit 8+ it takes you to TrustPilot to leave a review.”18 Jun 2026·danielkempe TwitterTwitter hides the option to opt out of notificationsTwitter makes it look as if the user has two options: “Enable Notifications” or “Only Important Notifications”. The option to decline is hidden: the user must locate the small grey “x” at the top left. Here, Twitter user Pete Zaback complains “This is a shitty dark pattern @nikitabier @elonmusk”18 Jun 2026·Peter Zaback·Visual interference LinkedinLinkedIn requires more than 30 clicks to unsubscribe from all E-Mail notifications. “LinkedIn should be LockedIn, as it takes >30 clicks to unsubscribe from all E-Mail notifications. Different tabs, nested menus, or put briefly: Insanity.”18 Jun 2026·Bright0001 ShopifyShopify’s “Save my information” feature is opt out and easy to miss“@Shopify @tobi I like Shopify but this “Not Now” button in the checkout flow is a serious dark pattern. It’s effectively invisible. I don’t want a Shop account automatically created for me. I just want to give a store my business once and be done with it. That should be the default. But it’s not, so the opt-out button should be a lot clearer.”17 Jun 2026·Rickaroo·Preselection, Visual interference FigmaFigma admins bewareFigma allegedly continues to employ the “hidden costs” deceptive pattern.17 Jun 2026·Azstace·Hidden Costs Copper CRMCopper CRM has a hard to cancel subscriptionCancelling a subscription with Copper CRM involves various forms of obstruction. Twitter user Erwin AI complains “Craziest cancellation flow I’ve seen in a long time. […] primary buttons are to stop flow, real button below fold under feedback form […] feedback form triggers discount popups […] even after clicking cancel, need to type CONFIRM in a dialog”17 Jun 2026·Erwin AI·Hard to cancel AdobeAdobe “Annual plan, paid monthly” silently renews into another full-year contract. Miss the tiny renewal window, and cancelling means paying 50% of the remaining amount as a penalty. Adobe replied to this tweet on May 9, 2026: “Annual plans renew automatically each year after notification. You can cancel anytime before the renewal date to avoid charges.”9 May 2026·Akhil Nadh PC·Hard to cancel GoogleHow Google is killing independent sites like ours“…why you shouldn’t trust product recommendations from big media publishers ranking at the top of Google”17 Dec 2025·Deceptive Patterns Rail EuropeRail Europe disguises an on-by-default toggle to look switched off, then treats your search as consent to open a Booking.com tabOn raileurope.com, the search panel includes a toggle labelled “Explore places to stay”. On page load it appears off: the control sits to the right, and is filled with a muted dark grey rather than an active accent colour. This makes it look like it might be turned off. The toggle is in fact turned on, despite its appearance. When the user submits their search, the site treats the user’s failure to notice and turn off the toggle as consent to open a new tab with booking.com. It does this by opening a new tab, loading a fresh raileurope.com session into it, and then switching focus there. The original tab is reloaded with a Booking.com search pre-populated for the destination and dates the user entered into Rail Europe.6 Nov 2025·Matthew Slowe FlipkartDrip pricing on Flipkart“Forget Rain Fee by Zomato/Swiggy/Zepto. See the masterstroke by Flipkart: • Offer Handling Fee (for giving me the discount you advertised??) • Payment Handling Fee (for letting me pay you??) • Protect Promise Fee (protecting me from what… satisfaction?) Next up: ‘Scrolling App Fee’”1 Oct 2025·Sidnan·Hidden Costs rac.co.ukRAC.co.uk: Can’t cancel subscription without calling“Classic roach motel move: can’t cancel the service without calling them. So much self-serve is possible online, but not that.” 5 Aug 2025·Ben Sauer·Hard to cancel FlightRadar24Flightradar24: the “x” button opens a page to register for premium“The X at the top right of Flight Radar doesn’t close the panel but instead takes you to a page where you can register for a premium account. Panel cannot be dismissed”10 Jul 2025·Joe Brodie Whisky-meWhisky-me uses the hard to cancel pattern“I really wish companies would ditch the easy subscribe HARD unsubscribe pattern…”27 Apr 2025·Ben Byford·Hard to cancel UberUber: Difficult Uber One cancellation process“Cookie pop-up uses language that suggests agreeing more to cookies as opposed to giving equal weight ot both options.”4 Apr 2025·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Space.comSpace.com: Opt out of settings requires extra clicks“Checkbox to resubscribe to Doordash was automatically checked on the payment screen.”4 Apr 2025·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection HelloFreshHelloFresh: Cancellation form misleads customers by obscuring cancellation button“Must click on extra buttons to opt out of settings.”4 Apr 2025·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel DoordashDoordash: Auto-checked resubscription on payment“Uber typically has its confirm option highlighted in black, and the deny option in a subtler gray color, as the user’s eye is naturally drawn to the contrast. When attempting to cancel Uber One, they invert it so that the default option is to stay subscribed. The user needs to press the muted gray button THREE times to actually cancel the subscription.”4 Apr 2025·Dark Patterns Tip Line Clearly.co.ukClearly.co.uk has a preselected checkbox on its checkout page“Shipping protection is preselected, meaning that users who do not notice the checkbox will end up paying an extra £2.95 for insurance that they may not want or need. ”2 Apr 2025·Harry Brignull·Preselection HRAcuityHRAcuity: Unnecessary cookie wallThe HRAcuity website uses a dark pattern by forcing users to accept cookies in order to access a video. 30 Mar 2025·HallOfShame.Design·Forced action RobloxThey’re Scamming Me: How Children Experience and Conceptualize Harm in Game Monetization“Children are struggling with complex virtual currency systems, describing in-game currency conversions as “scary” and difficult to understand, often leading to unintentional overspending; random reward mechanics like loot boxes are deceptive and harmful, and still feature in many of the most popular Roblox games despite being banned for users under 15 in Australia in 2024; many children feel misled by the games they play, experiencing financial disappointment and family conflicts due to misleading spending features; Children need better protections […]”4 Mar 2025·Hardwick et al. ·Currency Confusion MicrosoftMicrosoft upgrades user to an expensive plan, makes it hard to downgrade“Microsoft automatically switched me to the $99.99/year version […] You have to go all the way through “cancel subscription” to be presented these options and get the $69.99/year one you actually chose.”24 Dec 2024·Max Kennerly AmazonAmazon: How to cancel Audible subscription?Audible makes it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions.5 Dec 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Hard to cancel PhosusPhosus: Pre-selected newsletter updatesPhosos uses preselection to automatically opt users in to receive marketing emails. 28 Nov 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Preselection HyundaiTo opt out of Hyundai selling your personal information, you must first pass a five-question identity quiz about old loans, past addresses, and your birthstone.To opt out of having their personal information sold, the user has to prove who they are by answering five questions. The questions ask which lender holds a mortgage the user may have opened in a certain month and year; which lender holds a Home Equity Line of Credit that the user may have; how much a past car loan or lease payment was; which city the user used to live in; and which birthstone matches their date of birth. 26 Nov 2024·Chris Coleman·Preselection GrowwGroww: Checkbox preselection for credit score checkGroww uses a preselected checkbox that is easy for users to overlook, causing them to potentially have their credit checked without their consent.15 Nov 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Preselection bsky.appHard-to-Cancel Subscription Design for Whisky Service“I really wish companies would ditch the easy subscribe HARD unsubscribe pattern… its 2025 guys come on, stop trying to screw us!”1 Nov 2024·design.ethics.code·Hard to cancel SamsungSamsung Privacy Policy Update Uses Misleading Checkbox“from trying to get us to agree to their thieving bullshit in their latest update. The “I have read and agree” checkbox is not necessary, but it’s made to look like it is…”1 Nov 2024·Patrick Leavy American AirlinesAmerican Airlines Confirmshaming Users into Buying Flight Insurance“I understand by declining this coverage that I may be responsible for cancellation fees and delay expenses personally or through alternate coverage.”15 Oct 2024·q-squid·Confirmshaming Railcards.co.ukRailcards.co.uk Misleads with Cashback Offer“Found after buying a railcard from Railcards .co.uk. Attention grabbed by “20.87 cash back” and “Get your cashback” button. Small print at the bottom hints (but doesn’t really make it clear) that you are signing up to have 18.00 pm removed from your card accou…”24 Sept 2024·Dr Mike Ward·Visual interference LinkedinLinkedIn: How to cancel LinkedIn Premium subscription?Linkedin makes it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions.23 Sept 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Hard to cancel DoordashDoorDash’s Tip Pressure Tactics“DoorDash now warns you that your food might get cold if you dont tip According to DoorDash spokesperson [], the prompt is something that were currently testing to help create the best possible experience for all members of our community.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AmazonAmazon’s Misleading Kindle Price Comparison“Interesting that amazon is showing the kindle edition price (12.99) compared to the print list price (19.99 crossed out). It looks very like a discount, but it’s not - the kindle list price is 12.99 and hasn’t changed since launched.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns InvendaVending Machine Facial Recognition Raises Concerns“Facial recognition’ error message on vending machine sparks concern According to Invendas website, the Smart Vending Machines can detect the presence of a person, their estimated age and gender.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns Euronet ATMsEuronet ATMs Charged Users Without Service“$4.92 Billion Company Vs. 2 YouTubers These two youtubers found that Euronet ATMs charged them for pushing the “cash and balance” button without receiving any cash or balance information. The video went kinda viral and here’s their follow-up:”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns MicrosoftBrowser Competition Research Report Released“This has been in the pipeline for ages and we’re very excited to announce this new research report by @Harrybr and @Cennydd!”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AdobeAdobe’s Deceptive Subscription Cancellation Process“3 minute walkthrough of the Adobe deceptive subscription cancellation experience (aka dark patterns) by @harrybr The part about Adobe starts at 3 minutes in.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hard to cancel JD GymsGym’s Extended Cancellation Period Criticized“Gym cancellation. 2 minutes to sign up, 21 working days to cancel.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hard to cancel Yoga InsuranceInsurance Platform’s Cancellation Obstacles“This is @InsuranceYoga. You see this after you request to cancel automatic renewal. You’re also required to enter a cancellation reason in a free text field. Viewing the discount takes you out of the cancellation journey - you have to start again if unhappy wi…”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hard to cancel DuolingoDuolingo’s Addictive Design Strategy""How we developed our addictive and delightful widget” Note: I’m not suggesting duolingo uses deceptive practices. But their “addiction for learning is ok” model feels a bit icky to me.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Addictive Design PureGymPureGym’s Predatory Cancellation Process“Just spent nearly half an hour trying to cancel PureGym membership. What’s been your most predatory cancellation experience? Uk discussion thread:”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hard to cancel AmazonAmazon Sued Over Prime Video Ads: Class-Action Complaint Accuses Tech Giant of ‘Immoral, Unethical, Oppressive, Unscrupulous’ Conduct“A lawsuit seeking class-action status accused Amazon of false advertising and deceptive practices because Prime Video now serves commercials by default.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns LinkedinLinkedIn Auto-Opts Users Into AI Training“LinkedIn is now using everyone’s content to train their AI tool — they just auto opted everyone in.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AudiAudi A3 Requires Subscriptions for Basic Features“The New Audi A3 - You have to add monthly subscriptions for things like cruise control and Apple CarPlay.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hidden subscription IndiegogoIndiegogo’s Default 20% Tip Practice“Yet another VC funded tech company asking for tips! This time - a DEFAULT 20% tip that you have to notice and opt out of. (This is illegal in the EU). According to the video, this money goes to @Indiegogo and not to the vendors. Source: @marvelousdecay”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Preselection CarvanaCarvana’s Hidden Coverage Decline Option”…[1] Protect your vehicle with CarvanaCare … Or … [2] scroll down below what seems to be the bottom of the page, and find a small text link: “I choose to decline coverage and continue""24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns Arc BrowserArc Browser’s Pushy Account Requirements“Arc Browser requires an account and has quite a pushy approach to onboarding. For example, you can’t skip the step you’ve got to scroll down to “No, I want to type in all my passwords again” then press “Next”.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns Wild Cosmetics LtdWildrefill’s Misleading Free Gift Subscriptions“Here, @wildrefill offers two “free gifts” with your purchase. Sounds too good to be true? That’s because it is. They’re both actually monthly subscriptions with third party vendors.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hidden subscription RobloxChild Makes Unauthorized $4000 Roblox Purchase""my brother spent $4000 on robux without our parents consent""24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns GoogleGoogle Pays $93M for Location Tracking Settlement“Google to pay $93m in settlement over deceptive location tracking Tech giant continued to collect and store a users location data even if users turned off their location history, according to suit”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns TwitterTwitter Blue’s Misleading 2FA Prompt“This call to action is utterly disingenuous. It looks like you’re being invited to add 2FA for security reasons. It’s actually an advertisement for Twitter Blue (or whatever they’re calling it these days).”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns DribbleDribbble Subscription Difficult to Cancel“Dribbble: Dark patterns in subscription cancellation Lots of good stuff on !”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hard to cancel Humble BundleHumble Bundle’s Misleading Slider Design“The Humble Bundle custom amount slider is designed to makes it look like they get less than everyone else (Note bottom slider position & dollar amount against the others) Source:”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AdobeAdobe’s Subscription Cancellation Dispute“Them: “I can give you 2 months free” Me: “No, I did not knowingly sign a contract. I want it cancelled with no charge” Them: “No I can’t do that” Me: “If you charge a cancellation fee I will take Adobe to small claims court in the UK and the court can decide…”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hard to cancel Booking.comAirbnb and Booking.com Enable Illegal Housing Listings“Airbnb and allowing illegal social housing sublets, say English councils Social housing providers claim platforms are refusing to cooperate with requests to remove illegally listed holiday lets 26 May 2024”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns HPHP Sued Over Ink Cartridge Monopolization“Class-action lawsuit accuses HP of monopolizing aftermarket ink cartridges Plaintiffs claim they never agreed to only purchase HP ink cartridges”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns HPHP’s Printer Functionality Restrictions""HP’s AiO devices won’t scan or fax without ink, and plaintiffs say IT giant illegally withheld that info from buyers""24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns HPHP hides USB port behind sticker to drive adoption of wireless services“Pay no attention to the USB port behind the no USB sticker Is covering a printers USB port with a sticker to push people into wireless printing”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns SeatgeekSeatgeek Charges 65% Hidden Ticket Fees“Seatgeek charges 65% fees on tickets”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns TwitterPlatform Questions Advertising Regulation Loopholes“Is it possible to wriggle around advertising laws and regs like this: 1. Allow advertisers to run ads containing false information 2. Present a footnote under these ads saying the information presented is not true? 3. Profit from the ad revenue”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns GoogleWindows 11’s Intrusive Bing Notifications""Microsoft is using malware-like pop-ups in Windows 11 to get people to ditch Google” Screenshot shows the notification UI appearing on top of a full-screen game, mid-play.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns MicrosoftNo Bing, no Edge, no upselling: De-crufted Windows 11 coming to Europe soon“Users in the extended European Economic Area will soon be able to avoid most of the things that feel so exhausting about Windows 11.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns KlarnaKlarna’s Late Payment Business Model“the best customer is a customer that does not pay directly, but actually gets a reminder, and also a debt collection letter - Niklas Adalberth, Klarna Co-founder”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns Perth councilPerth councils deploying ‘hostile architecture’ to make life even tougher for homeless people“Experts warn a rise in ‘hostile architecture’ is making life even harder for our most vulnerable citizens. When Len James found himself on the street, he said those design features made him feel unwanted in his own city.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns FlockTech Company Expands Public Surveillance System“PRIVATE EYES: How a tech company is expanding surveillance in public streets”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns HPHP Printer Ink Lawsuit Filed“Freund et al v. HP, Inc. The complaint contends that HP’s ‘all-in-one’ printers have a defect intentionally designed to compel consumers to spend excessive amounts of money on ink.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns CompleteSavingsDeceptive Partner Program Advertisement""By clicking above, you can join our partner programme for 15pounds/month andclaimyourreward.” This dialog is styled to look like part of the first party payment process, but in fact it’s an advertisement”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns CompleteSavingsGatwick Airport Partner’s Deceptive Savings Scheme“Complete Savings TM… a preferred partner of London Gatwick Airport” See if you can spot the deceptive patterns.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns ZoomZoom employs user data for AI training with no opt out“Zoom terms now allow training AI on user content with no opt out”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Preselection FacebookFacebook’s Content Filtering System Criticized“This is Facebooks confirmation when you ask to see fewer posts of a particular type. For a while appears to be shorthand for our algorithm doesnt care how you feel about this sort of content, it may decide to show you it again soon and theres nothing you can d…”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns HPHP wants you to pay up to $36/month to rent a printer that it monitors“HP launched a subscription service today that rents people a printer, allots them a specific amount of printed pages, and sends them ink for a monthly fee. [], the deal also comes with monitoring and a years-long commitment. from $6.99 to $35.99 / mo”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AmazonFTC Sues Amazon for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power“Amazon’s ongoing pattern of illegal conduct blocks competition, allowing it to wield monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle innovation for consumers and businesses”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AmazonArizona accuses Amazon of being a monopoly and deceiving consumers with ‘dark patterns’“Arizona Attorney General accuses Amazon of using dark patterns to keep users from canceling their Amazon Prime subscriptions. This is similar to a lawsuit the FTC filed against the company in June.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns HPHP Printer’s Aggressive Cartridge Notifications“Surely this cant be real. We’ve alerted you multiple times that this printer had non-Original HP cartridges installed. This is your final notice to fix the issue”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns Miku Inc.Baby Monitor Adds Subscription for Basic Features""My $400 baby monitor has locked previously free features behind a monthly subscription. The app used to send push notifications when the baby woke up. Now I have to pay $10 per month for that privilege.""24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Hidden subscription MercedesMercedes locks faster acceleration behind a $1,200 annual paywall“The German auto manufacturer is the latest company to offer subscription services for features a vehicle was already capable of.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AdobeAdobe’s AI Training Claims Questioned“Adobe Swears Its Not Training Its A.I. on Your Photoshops BUT Adobe has not made any changes to its ToS making this claim effectively worthless.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns FacebookFacebook’s Misleading Activity Prompt""Use this activity” is an unusual choice of words, huh. (screenshot from @facebook yesterday)”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns Satellites LivePlatform’s Missing Decline Option“Wheres the no thanks?”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns MicrosoftWindows Update Process Criticism""Nope, not malware. Just Windows.""24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns WinredCourt Rules Against WinRed Donation Platform“In Feb 2023, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in favour of protecting consumers against the preselection deceptive pattern used by WinRed - the donation platform used by the Trump campaign, pictured here.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AdobeAdobe Stock’s Annual Plan Deception“I got caught out by the adobe stock “annual plan paid monthly” DP. I definitely did NOT intend to sign up for an annual plan. Curses.”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns AmazonAmazon’s AI Product Recommendations Question“Amazon’s Choice for “knuckle dusters for self defence”. Use AI to generate handy dandy summaries to boost revenue? Yes, let’s do it! Use AI to remove harmful or illegal products? No, too difficult!”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns TwitterX to be investigated for allegedly breaking EU laws on hate speech and fake news“EU launches proceedings against Elon Musk’s social media platform under new Digital Services Act”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns MicrosoftMicrosoft Bing’s Chrome Search Manipulation“What you see if you search for “Chrome” using Edge+Bing The chatbot response dominates the page, ignoring your search term and promoting bing instead. Source:”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns LGLG Appliances Force Binding Arbitration Agreement“Using your newly purchased LG appliance forces you into binding arbitration”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns IntuitAdministrative Law Judge Issues Initial Decision in FTC’s Case Against Intuit Inc.Order bars Intuit from engaging in deceptive practices in the future24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns CloudflareCloudflare’s User Billing Practice Questioned“Here’s another alleged example one from @Cloudflare . The user gets 50 users free, but as soon as they tip over to 51, EVERY user (including the first 50) is apparently billed at $7 per month…”24 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns YoutubeYouTube accused of aiming ads at kids after promising it wouldn’t do that“Web giant comes out swinging, says allegations ‘without merit’”18 Aug 2024·Deceptive Patterns StubhubStubHub: Dark patterns in event ticket salesA walkthrough of Stubhub’s use of hidden fees, countdown timers and fake scarcity tactics. 12 Aug 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Hidden Costs TwitterX: Your data - our dataX recently introduced a new setting that allows them to use the content you posts to train their AI, Grok. However, instead of informing users or asking for their explicit consent, X set this setting to “yes” for everyone without any notice. This is a textbook example of the dark pattern known as “preselection”.31 Jul 2024·HallOfShame.Design RedditReddit: See Reddit in Reddit AppReddit relentlessly nags mobile web users to switch to the app via a modal overlay. 24 Jul 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Nagging TiktokTikTok: Nagging dark patternsDespite repeatedly declining access to notifications and contacts, TikTok persistently asks for these permissions. This persistence is an example of the “nagging” dark pattern, designed to tire users until they give up and allow access. Let’s break down the tactics TikTok uses to achieve this.28 Jun 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Nagging TradingViewTradingView: Emotional subscription cancellationTradingView uses several dark patterns to influence your decision and make you feel guilty about cancelling your subscription.20 Jun 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Hard to cancel DoordashDoorDash: How to cancel DashPass subscription?Doordash makes it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions.17 Jun 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Hard to cancel MetaMeta uses “dark patterns” to thwart AI opt-outs in EU, complaint says“EU Facebook users have until June 26 [2024] to opt out of AI training.”6 Jun 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Preselection HelloFreshHelloFresh: How to cancel HelloFresh subscription?Hellofresh makes it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions.28 May 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Hard to cancel Facebook EU opens child safety probes of Facebook and Instagram, citing addictive design concerns“EU opens child safety probes of Facebook and Instagram, citing addictive design concerns”16 May 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Addictive Design Green Man GamingGreen Man Gaming: Check to unsubscribe“Please tick this box if you do not want to receive wishlist offers, vouchers, and other deals via email.”30 Apr 2024·HallOfShame.Design·Preselection EyeEmPhoto-sharing community EyeEm will license users’ photos to train AI if they don’t delete them“Joaquin Cuenca Abela, CEO of Freepik, hinted at the company’s possible plans for EyeEm, saying it would explore how to bring more AI into the equation for creators on the platform. As it turns out, that meant selling their work to train AI models.”26 Apr 2024·Deceptive Patterns·Preselection MicrosoftMicrosoft starts testing ads in the Windows 11 Start menu“The app recommendations from Windows 10 are coming to Windows 11 soon.”12 Apr 2024·Deceptive Patterns AppleEU Fines Apple Over App Store Music Streaming Rules“European Commission fines Apple over 1.8 billion over abusive App store rules for music streaming providers The investigation found that “Apple bans music streaming app developers from fully informing iOS users” about alternative and cheaper services.”4 Mar 2024·Deceptive Patterns IntuitFTC bans TurboTax from advertising ‘free’ services, calls it deceptive“FTC bans TurboTax from advertising free services, calls it deceptive”3 Jan 2024·Deceptive Patterns DribbbleDribbble: Dark patterns in subscription cancellationThe vast world of online user experience is filled with numerous tactics used by companies to guide user behavior. However, not all of these tactics prioritize the user’s best interests. Dark patterns, which are deceptive design choices that trick users into taking actions they might not have intended to, are becoming increasingly prevalent.27 Nov 2023·HallOfShame.Design·Hard to cancel Urban CompanyUrban Company Accused of Using Dark Pattern Design“Hey folks. Ive been featured in this news article about a in Urban Company (an Indian Startup). Do give it a read if this is interesting for you”25 Nov 2023·Chandra Ramanujan TiktokTikTok Violates DSA with Fake Accounts and Political Ads“TikTok violated the DSA - again. We found: 48 NEW murky accounts impersonating Clin Georgescu 49 political ads, violating TikTok’s own policy They were easy to find. So why wasnt TikTok proactive?”21 Nov 2023·Democracy Reporting International InfopayInfopay, Inc.: Deceptive cancellation process tricks users into reinstating membership“The website uses a deceptive cancellation process. The customer must confirm twice in popup boxes that they want to cancel and not to retain or change their membership at a special offered rate. After declining twice the customer is presented with a box that confirms their cancellation but then provides a final option to switch to a “Pay-Per-Report” model with NO recurring payments. (This is the default model) The button to accept this default model is then placed exactly how the previous membership retention buttons were placed and where the cancellation buttons were previously placed is now a button to keep the membership. This is a deceptive practice where someone is conditioned to think that they are declining the membership but then are tricked into reinstating their membership immediately after actually cancelling it. Additionally the user is not provided with any means to close the popup box so they are forced to agree to a “Pay-Per-Report” model which has never been previously introduced or explained. The user feels like they have to make a choice and seeing as they are attempting cancel they are likely to be tricked into reinstating their membership.”20 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel SpectrumSpectrum: Difficult to cancel service“They wasted my time by trying to make it impossible for me to cancel the service, first a long hold time to speak to a representative on the phone (the only way to cancel), then by giving me sales pitch and question after question trying to get me to keep services. I literally had to repeat over and over again “I want to cancel the service” and the representative tried very hard to ignore my request and kept asking me things like “well what services would you like”. It was awful.”20 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel OodieOodie: Online shopping guilt“WANT TO SAVE ON YOUR NEXT OODIE? […] No, thanks. I’d rather pay full price.”20 Nov 2023·HallOfShame.Design·Confirmshaming Il MakiageIl Makiage: Difficult subscription cancellation, forbids payment info removal without replacement“Il Makiage has a difficult subscription service to cancel and forces you to click through about 10 different menus to actually cancel a subscription that they force you to sign up for when getting a sample product. They also forbid you from removing your payment information from their website without replacing it with another card.”20 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel MicrosoftMicrosoft Word Forces OneDrive Default Save Location“I don’t use Word often, but when I do, it’s because I have to. A few days ago I notice the Save function now defaults to OneDrive. I’ve no idea when that started, but it’s NOT what I want and fixing that up every time I save is another unnecessary, but deliber…”19 Nov 2023·Bill Bennett COKODIVECOKODIVE: Unsubscribe link hidden by matching background color“I purchased an item from Cokodive and as many online shops do, they auto-subscribed my email address to their promotions marketing. When trying to unsubscribe, I noticed the link labeled “unsubscribe” at the bottom of their email message is purposely the same color as the email’s background. I could only find the “unsubscribe” link by highlighting various areas at the bottom of their marketing email.”19 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel, Obstruction Vox MediaVox Media: Denied the opportunity to reject cookies“Denied the opportunity to reject cookies. Provided a recipe for disabling cookies in my browser, while still denying me the opportunity within the answer box that takes up half of my screen in the cookie policy, while also saying that I might not get full use of access of the web page. “ Please note, however, that without HTTP cookies and HTML5 and Flash local storage, you may not be able to take full advantage of all our Site features and parts of the Site will not function properly.””11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line Transunion CanadaTransunion Canada: Misleading option leads to subscription“I chose the “Credit Report” option to get my credit report, and was forced to pay for a credit monitoring service I did not ask for. It is not clear at all that in order to get free access to my credit record, I had to click on “Consumer Disclosure” rather than “Credit Report”. The Consumer Disclosure option also makes it sound as though the report would be less complete, as it is not even referred to as a “credit report”, but rather “consumer disclosure”. The Credit Report option is automatically bundled with a $24.95/month credit monitoring service. There is small text on the main page indicating that the service would be bundled, but nothing in the description page of the “Credit Report” option says such. When making the account, it does say that I “have chosen” the service in the sidebar, but there really was no choice to begin with, and it looks like an offer, more than anything. It does asks for a credit card number, but it appears as though it is part of the identity verification process.”11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Forced action HPHP: Pop-up attempts to switch search engine“I sometimes get pop-up windows on my HP laptop that ask to trigger some updates to HP’s Windows overlay. This time, clicking Next several times through the updates brought me to a final screen where the “Next” button was replaced by “Try Bing search engine” using the same style. This has potential to trick users into agreeing to Bing Terms and Privacy Policy and switch browser search engines to Bing without clear agreement.”11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line ClassPassClassPass: Many steps to cancel membership“I was auto-enrolled into ClassPass’s $89/month membership; it took 8-10 steps just to cancel the next month’s membership”11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel XfinityXfinity: No online cancellation, call process difficult“No option existed online to cancel my subscription. When I called the number, I reached a desk who transferred me to different lines and then was unable/unwilling to stop my service because my their authentification procedure required a text and then a link which was not working. I spent hours and was ultimately unsuccessful.”11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel IndiGoIndiGo manipulating emotions of users when booking flights to opt for travel insurance “Came across this ‘confirmshaming’ dark pattern in the Indigo app when I was booking a flight. That’s when it ‘present users with opt-out labels that are worded in a derogatory or belittling manner, making users feel bad about choosing not to engage with the offered service’”11 Nov 2023·NCResq·Preselection, Confirmshaming LGLG: Forced to agree to privacy settings“Smart TV system automatically updated to Web OS, but the update does NOT allow the user to actually make a choice about privacy settings. See arrow to User Agreement in Photo1 below. For the TV to function, the user MUST select Agree all, which automatically checks all 5 choices (which can’t be read under settings). If any other choice is selected (such as Back or Later), the user is automatically returned to the screen in photo1. The navigation buttons don’t work as they should. Only when one selects “Agree all” can one use the Apps as listed in Furrion3. Forced choice is no choice.”11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Forced action Thrive MarketThrive Market: Requires call to cancel subscription and auto-renews upon use“Thrive market requires that you talk with a rep to cancel a subscription but you can sign up for a subscription very easily online. Also, if you use your active subscription after requesting that it be cancelled, your subscription will be restarted automatically and you will be charged again even when you believed that it was canceled.”11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel QuickenQuicken: Difficult to cancel and refund subscription“I ordered a subscription to Quicken Classic Deluxe. Their website claims a 30 day Risk Free policy where you can get your money back. I decided that the product wasn’t for me and went to cancel the subscription. They make this EXTREMELY hard and confusing: 1. There is no obvious way to cancel the subscription in the account. There is a button to cancel the AutoRenewal, which weirdly then appears to cancel the Subscription, but maybe not? I have no idea what state my account is in after pressing that button. 2. Cancelling the subscription does not automatically trigger a refund. Customers are not told this. I had to do a search and finally stumbled upon the instructions on this page https://www.quicken.com/support/Terms-and-Conditions-For-Exchanging-Canceling-or-Refunding-Quicken-Products#section-1 2a. The link under their “Subscription Cancellation” header goes to a web page that asks customers to call customer service to “get help deciding whether Quicken is right for you”. 3. To get the refund, customers have to fill out a form. The form asks for a lot of information. Among that inforrmation is a copy of the invoice and an order number. Quicken doesn’t send out traditional invoices with the purchase price and an order number. They only send a purchase confirmation. If you don’t have the order number you can’t submit the form. 4. I asked their help chatbot where to find my order number. It claimed that it is in the invoice they sent (it is not). It said if the number isn’t in the invoice I would have to call their customer support. It is night here and their customer support is closed. I fully expect that when I call them tomorrow they will attempt to pressure me into keeping the subscription. Harm: Potentially I am out 60 dollars in subscription fees; also two hours of my time wasted chasing down how to cancel the subscription and get my money back. Potentially more hours wasted tomorrow trying to deal with customer support.”11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Consumer ReportsConsumer Reports: Small “No thanks” button“The “No thanks” button is small and doesn’t look like a button compared to the Upgrade button.”11 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line GoogleGoogle Workspace forcing users to sign up for the expensive free trial before downgrading to cheaper options“TIL: Crazy dark pattern for Google Workspace - it WILL not let me select the cheaper pricing plan when I’m signing up. After some research, I found out you have to signup for the expensive free trial and then search for the option to downgrade to the cheaper pricing plan.”10 Nov 2023·bozo_eth·Hidden subscription MetaMeta pushes user to “consent” to unrestricted use of their data“Meta’s new “consent” wall is scam that undermines the European Court of Justice’s ruling of July. This deceptive design pushes the user to “consent” to unrestricted use of their data. That includes intimate data that Meta obtains by tracking the user on other websites and apps.”10 Nov 2023·johnnyryan LawdepotLawdepot tricks users into annual contract“I got charged £83.88 after a 7 day trial after clicking this. Wasn’t expecting to be charged up front, but missed the PREPAID FOR ONE YEAR caveat”3 Nov 2023·domparker Office of Congressman Bill PascrellOffice of Congressman Bill Pascrell: Email click leads to unwanted subscription“Received an email from Congressman Bill Pascrell with a picture that invited you to click on it to vote either yes or no. But when you click on the image it doesn’t register a vote; instead it subscribes you to their email list .”3 Nov 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line MicrosoftMicrosoft displays full screen forces ad pop-ups “Microsoft has started showing a fullscreen pop-up for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III when you boot up an Xbox today”2 Nov 2023·tomwarren DoordashDoorDash now warns you that your food might get cold if you don’t tipOrders without tips included ahead of time look less lucrative to drivers, meaning you might be waiting longer.1 Nov 2023·Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Mack ClubMack Club hides the recurring subscription information in the same color as background“Eric July lists the prices to his “Mack Club”, but makes the “monthly” recurring label the same color as the background of the site, tricking users into entering a monthly subscription without realizing it.”1 Nov 2023·dickmasterson·Hidden subscription MoveHubMoveHub uses tricky opt-in opt-out for promotional emails “@darkpatterns Classic dark pattern from @movehub”30 Oct 2023·daviddobrinskiy·Preselection Lord IconLord Icon: Unsubscribe link broken, no response from contact form“When trying to unsubscribe to this service via the website, the link shows a 404 page not found. There are no other ways to unsubscribe. When using the website contact form, I have received no confirmation of correspondence, and have never received any response.”27 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel, Obstruction Metropolitan Transportation CommisionMetropolitan Transportation Commision: Clipper Card website provides wrong instructions to cancel auto-reload.“Clipper Card website does not provide a way to cancel auto-reload. Website has these instructions: “Log in to your Clipper account. Find your card and select Manage Auto-Reload from the More Options menu. Your Auto-Reload is now cancelled.” But after clicking on the More Options menu, I don’t see the “Manage Auto-Reload” option. Also cannot find anywhere to cancel on the page.”27 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel AmazonAmazon: Hid Prime subscription cost“When checking out on the Amazon Android app, I got the attached screen prompting me to subscribe to prime. Nowhere in the screen does it say it costs $14.99/mo; you have to click “see all” to find that out.”27 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line airSlateairSlate, Inc.: pdfFiller requires subscription after document completion and free trial still asks for CC info“pdfFiller, an app on Android by airSlate, allows you to sign and fill out PDF files. However, it is not until finishing the first document that the user is prompted they must create an account. Yet further, after creating the account, it is shown that to send out or even save the completed document that the user must pay a subscription fee. The lowest tier offered even denies the option to fill out forms and thus requires the middle or highest payment tier. A free trial is offered, but still asks for CC info to start. I was just looking for an app to simply fill out a PDF form, then save it or email it. It is not a task complicated enough to warrant a subscription fee, so to see a payment screen at the end of filling in my document was a vast waste of time.”27 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Forced action, Hidden subscription IndiGoIndiGo confuses users to make seat selection purchases through deliberate omission“Mystery over @IndiGo ‘s clever seat-purchase ploy unraveled. While the seat selection is not compulsory, following are the ways the airline has tried to benefit from confusing travellers through deliberate omission. I explain below”26 Oct 2023·jagritichandra PorkbunPorkbun misleads users opting out by not presenting neutral options“Deceptive UX practices at @Porkbun during the approval process for an outgoing domain transfer.”24 Oct 2023·paulNL SamsungSamsung tricks users to accept all its new terms and conditions including optional ones“Dark pattern of the day. Samsung sent me a notification to accept the new terms and conditions. The form was designed in a way to trick you to accept all the terms, including optional marketing ones… took me ages to find out how I can change my answers…”23 Oct 2023·mariapage CVSCVS: Forced consent to marketing via phone number at checkout“At a CVS pharmacy (in-person), their check-out attempts to force you to consent to receiving marking information (along with prescription info) via your mobile phone number. The check-out pad only offers two options: “Yes,” or “Print Info.” If you press “Print Info,” you are provided with a piece of paper telling me about how CVS values your privacy. Then a supervisor has to come over and allow the transaction to proceed, because the default set such that the register assumes the customer will press yes and a cashier cannot override.”19 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line Events Ticket CenterEvents Ticket Center: Pop-ups urge quick ticket purchase, misleadingly varying buyer numbers“I was trying to purchase tickets for a ballet that is selling out. It came up in my search first and looked like the venue. I received several pop-up messages telling me to hurry, that I’d lose the tickets if I didn’t purchase within 10 minutes. Furthermore, there are different numbers of people that have “bought tickets within the last hour” every time the page is refreshed.”19 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Fake urgency UberUber: Instructions to cancel are not reflective of in-app experience“I found Uber One no longer useful to me so I decided I wanted to cancel the subscription. Reading their help topic on cancelling, I was bemused by the line: “You can cancel your membership upto 48 hours before your next scheduled payment”. I was expecting I could simply cancel and then use up the remaining period of time, similar to any other cancellation experience. I followed the directions to hopefully find the “End membership” button anyway. It wasn’t there. I am essentially forced to set a schedule a date in my diary 48 hours before the next payment is taken from me. But I need to know when this occurs, so I used my bank statements to find out, it’s a month from now.”19 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel AmazonAmazon: Deceptive Prime opt-in at checkout“she paid for three months of Amazon Prime before noticing it on her credit card statements and cancelling it, as she didn’t want to subscribe and was unaware that she had subscribed.”18 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line DiscordDiscord: Unable to unsubscribe from Nitro on mobile, forced to use PC“Able to subscribe to Discord Nitro on mobile, unable to unsubscribe from Discord Nitro from mobile. You are forced to go to a PC, download discord, and then search for the obfuscated cancel button. Then you are forced to go through another 3 page process before it allows you to unsubscribe.”18 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Forced action VerizonVerizon: Difficulty canceling service without calling“Unable to stop Verizon account unless I called them, and the process took a long time.”18 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel TwitterTwitter Is Throttling Patreon Links, Creators Say It Undermines Their LivelihoodTwitter is now slowing down traffic on links to the crowdfunding site Patreon, WhatsApp, and at times, Meta’s Messenger app, a Markup analysis confirms.16 Oct 2023·Jon Keegan and Dan Phiffer SpectrumSpectrum: Difficult to cancel internet services due to endless transfers and recurring bills“Multiple calls to Spectrum to cancel Internet which were transferred through endless “other lines”, transfer wait times taking up to 40 minutes, which calls resulted in total obliteration of any clarity that services had been canceled. They even hung up, simply forcing the whole web again, and it was all different from the last. Bills continued without service rendered, for months. Calls to address the bills, each and every one, resulted in the same consuming and blindingly unproductive loops and hurdles. This has been endured every month. I find out that it’s actually not over only when yet another bill shows up. This is currently still unresolved, I am forced into another exhausting slew of calls to address the bill.”13 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel The EconomistThe Economist: Requires call or chat to cancel subscription“The Economist requires you to call a call center or use a live chat to cancel your subscription. This is a use of friction and social pressure to inconvenience those attempting to cancel.”13 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel SamCartSamCart makes it hard for users to unsubscribe and deactivate“Talk about a unwelcome UX dark pattern @samcartapp pulls when you try to unsubscribe & deactivate. Forces you to watch a video to cancel (and not to mention an addition confirmation step after that). Got to reduce churn, but I hate it from a user satisfaction standpoint.”13 Oct 2023·WillPhillips Bank of AmericaBank of America: Defaults to paperless choice“The default option is to click for a paperless choice as opposed to giving users equal options and it is given in a quick pop-up: 1. the easiest response and most visible button is the one that selects paperless; 2. To opt out of the paperless choice that is presented both careful reading and two steps are required. 3. The choice is not clear and requires assessment. If one is in a hurry to get to one’s account, it would be quite easy to click OK without reading further.”13 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection, Fake urgency The Baltimore SunThe Baltimore Sun: Cancellation process is deceptive“I subscribed once, a few years ago, to The Baltimore Sun. When I went to cancel I realized I couldn’t so it online and had to call. It was almost impossible to get them to agree to cancel my subscription. I vowed never again. However, I saw an ad for 1 year recently for $4. The fine print specifically stated I could cancel online OR by calling and I thought they finally got their act together. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The URL they cite to cancel just redirects you to having to call. This is deceptive and needs to stop. Now I have to call and go through it all again. Very disappointed. I’ve clicked through every page and you must call. The website says two things that conflict and mislead: “You can cancel your subscription anytime online at BaltimoreSun.com/customerservice or by calling 443-692-9011.”, then turns around and says you have to call later in the paragraph. They know exactly what they are doing.”13 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel HeadspaceHeadspace: Difficulty canceling subscriptions and deleting accounts“Headspace has intentionally designed their user interface to prohibit users from canceling their subscription renewals via the app itself. Users must navigate a convoluted path through third-party platforms or customer service to cancel their subscriptions, a clear example of a “dark pattern” aimed at reducing churn rate by making the cancellation process as difficult as possible. Headspace also does not allow users with “active” subscriptions to request account deletion. This tactic not only retains the user’s financial commitment but also keeps their personal data within the Headspace ecosystem.”13 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel ScribdScribd: Difficult cancellation process with hidden steps and confusing language“After you press “cancel subscription,” you are first taken to a page saying how many days you now have left on your subscription. This made me think I successfully canceled my subscription, but eventually found out that there is a button on the bottom of the screen requiring you to go through a series of additional feedback and sales pages, including offering “lighter” subscription options before you can actually cancel. Also, on each of these additional pages, the “continue cancellation” button is all the way on the bottom of the page, effectively hidden (especially if you are on a phone – see screenshots). I ended up paying for my subscription a few months longer than I wanted to because I kept thinking I cancelled when in fact I didn’t complete the entire process Scribd requires. They also do not let you cancel through the app, again adding additional unnecessary and confusing steps to the cancellation process.”13 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel RAMA WORKSRAMA WORKS: Confusing unsubscribe buttons due to green “No” button“Trying to unsubscribe from the RAMA WORKS emailing list and the “No” button is colored green – prompting me to instinctively click “No” as the green color provides an affirmative action. I had to go back and click the white “Yes” instead.”13 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel NextDoorNextDoor: Tedious notification settings“I got a NextDoor account to find events in my area. I started getting spammed with emails, so I clicked “Unsubscribe”. However, I noticed that the URL it took me to said “You will no longer get notifications about Event reminders” which was very specific. So, I went to my account and clicked on my notifications settings. The way they have the notifications settings designed is tedious. I couldn’t simply uncheck one button to stop getting emails, instead I had to uncheck every category (there were fourteen of them) and then within each category, there were further subcategories within those. I included a picture (image #2) of the first category. But on the list on the left, each item (Post, Comments and Replies, Mentions) has subcategories with in it that you have to click through.”13 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line StripeStripe makes it impossible for users to know its monthly costs leading users to pay more“Stripe is a great product but also employs a massive dark pattern. It’s almost impossible to know how much you pay monthly to use Stripe. There are bunch of reports you can try to download to analyze fees, but as you turn on their additional services (Revenue Recognition, Sigma, etc) it’s basically impossible to see a breakdown of what you’re paying. If people easily saw what they paid Stripe monthly (spoiler alert, it’s a lot), I bet Stripe would have more competitors.”12 Oct 2023·sm The ForkThe Fork misleads users to subscribe to emails with trick wording“The ol’ one-two mixed opt-in opt-out dark pattern from the fork . com”11 Oct 2023·pgl·Trick wording, Preselection GameStopGameStop sued for adding hidden charges during checkout“Yesterday, GameStop was sued in a class action alleging that it sneaks shipping & handling charges into customers’ carts at checkout. Consumers say they selected “FREE Shipping” but were charged for it anyway. They seek at least $5M in damages.”10 Oct 2023·RobertFreundLaw·Sneaking, Hidden Costs Navi Mutual FundsNavi Mutual Funds forces users to accept sharing data to access their funds“Be extremely cautious/avoid investing in Navi Mutual Funds @navifinance @_sachinbansal They have suddenly made it mandatory to share your contacts and location with them to access your funds at all. Can’t even withdraw. Complete breach of trust and privacy. Figuring out where to complain but I’m taking my investments away from them for sure. And they say they need it “for best offers” 🙄”9 Oct 2023·shantanugoel RotatoRotato tricks users to purchase a plan by luring them with free plans“How to lose my trust: - mess with the order of plans and break the left -> right’ convention and try to get me for the most expensive option - imply I can start for free while the only option is to purchase a plan.”8 Oct 2023·Goroh_co TwitterX rolls out new ad format that can’t be reported, blockedTwitter / X is serving users with a new ad format that can’t be blocked or reported the ads aren’t even actual X posts & aren’t connected to any X accounts. they do not disclose that they are ads it appears the ads are connected to clickbait ad networks6 Oct 2023·Matt Binder·Disguised ads RokuRoku: Default opt-in for voice recordings“Default opt-in to allow the following: “Your voice recordings help us fine-tune and improve our speech recognition software…allowing Roku to improve its software by storing and using your voice.” This setting should be default opt-out.”5 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection ticketmasterTicketMaster: Hidden fees and encouraged insurance for tickets“Has to pay hidden fees to obtain tickets. These fees are not listed on the original ticket price and language encourages the user to buy insurance on the ticket.”5 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hidden Costs Hum NutritionHum Nutrition: Automatically pre-selected subscription with hidden commitment“Went to place an order for supplements through their website and was signed up for a recurring subscription with a 3-month minimum without being made aware that I was signing up (or that subscriptions were even an option). Summary of the issue: – Subscription options are displayed on the order summary page, at the very bottom, and you must scroll through several full pages of content to see them – The 3 month commitment version of the subscription is automatically pre-selected – You can press “check out” at the top of the screen without ever scrolling to see the subscription options, and it’s not clear that you should or need to scroll – If you try to cancel, you will be told you have to pay x amount because you “signed up for” the three month subscription – When you review your order summary on the check out page, no subscription is mentioned at all”5 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection GoogleGerman Cartel Office published its Google decision on dark patterns and how to fix them“Here is the full draft decision and commitments. Strongly recommend reading and sharing. I’ve long said U.S. enforcers should mirror this check on market power. It’s 30 pages clearly explaining G’s surveillance and dark patterns and how to fix them”5 Oct 2023·jason_kint OomaOoma: Difficult to cancel subscription“It’s easy to sign up, but if you want to cancel you can’t do that online. You have to call them, navigate through a lengthy phone tree, talk to a CSR, wait to get transferred to a retention agent, answer a bunch of questions and listen to the agent babble on about trying to get you to not cancel before they will honor your cancellation.”5 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Christian PostChristian Post: Pop-up with subscribe button and fainter “Later” button; no direct “no” option“Pop-up with a giant email subscribe button and a fainter “Later” button. No options that gives a direct no.”5 Oct 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line Miku Inc.Miku Inc. tricks users into a monthly subscription“My $400 baby monitor has locked previously free features behind a monthly subscription. The app used to send push notifications when the baby woke up. Now I have to pay $10 per month for that privilege”4 Oct 2023·darkpatterns·Hidden subscription OpenAIAI-Generated Websites Found to Include Multiple Deceptive Patterns“Despite using neutral language that specifically did not mention integrating deceptive design patterns, every single AI-generated web page contained at least one such pattern, with an average of five per page.”4 Oct 2023·Chris Moran MetaFacebook and Instagram could charge for ad-free services in EUA leading campaigner against Meta’s data practices said he would fight the proposals “up and down the courts” if the subscription fees were implemented3 Oct 2023·Dan Milmo and Lisa O'Carroll AmazonAmazon presenting non-neutral options for refund “This is such a dark pattern by Amazon. They make it look like getting a refund to your original form of payment is not an option. Even though it is an option below but is not treated the same as other options.”1 Oct 2023·mohitify European Consumer Centre Greece Consent Management PlatformEuropean Consumer Centre Greece Consent Management Platform makes it difficult to reject all cookies“so sick and tired of these dark patterns in consent management platform tools. ‘Reject All’ does not reject all. You have to click on legitimate interests and ‘object all’. That this is on the website of a consumer advice centre is just 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️”30 Sept 2023·PrivacyMatters·Nagging Air CanadaAir Canada forces its customers to receive promotional emails “It’s a dark pattern to force your users, actually, your customers to agree with receiving promotional emails when they buy from you. There’s no way to disagree with it except by not buying plane tickets from @AirCanada . I wonder if it’s legal in Canada…”28 Sept 2023·fharper Dufresne GroupDufresne Group Pays $3.25M CAD for Dark Patterns and Unsupported PricingTDG offered consumers products at inflated regular prices and then marketed the products at big discounts giving misleading impression that consumers were savings on those products. The Bureau found that TDG advertised urgent, limited time offers to consumers, including using tactics like countdown timers.28 Sept 2023·Kelly Harris & Jane Huang·Fake urgency LenskartLenskart sneaking a convenience fee during membership checkout“Convenience Fee for a membership @peyushbansal @Lenskart_com I would probably buy your membership at 49. Why do you have to switch and bait? I don’t care how sophisticated your app is, after this, you’ll be one of those companies that does scammy shit, for me at least.”27 Sept 2023·kalibuild·Sneaking AmazonFTC Sues Amazon for Illegally Maintaining Monopoly Power“Amazon’s ongoing pattern of illegal conduct blocks competition, allowing it to wield monopoly power to inflate prices, degrade quality, and stifle innovation”27 Sept 2023·darkpatterns Bundle HuntBundle Hunt adding hidden costs during checkout “@BundleHunt Eh, that’s a bit of a sneaky dark pattern 🤔”27 Sept 2023·iamj7e·Sneaking, Hidden Costs Select BlindsSelect Blinds fined $10M for fake slashed prices, perpetual discounts and fake countdown timers“Does your ecom site use fake slashed prices, perpetual discounts, and/or countdown timers that reset? Select Blinds did. Now, they’re paying $10M to settle a class action lawsuit filed in California.”27 Sept 2023·RobertFreundLaw·Fake urgency AdobeAdobe tricks users into an annual contract“Guess what the billing period is for this Adobe license, as displayed on this “review your order” screen that appears before you commit? If you guessed “annual”, you’d be correct, for some dumb reason. Adobe have really weaponised dark patterns in a truly user-hostile manner.”27 Sept 2023·trawg TwitterTwitter 2FA premium subscription sign up doesn’t actually take you into a subscription sign-up journey“This call to action is utterly disingenuous. It looks like you’re being invited to add 2FA for security reasons. It’s actually an advertisement for Twitter Blue (or whatever they’re calling it these days).”27 Sept 2023·darkpatterns KayakKayak automatically re-enables push notification settings after user disables it “Wow @kayak going hard on the Dark Patterns when I try to disable some push notifications and a magical ghost just pops them back on 👻”26 Sept 2023·JesseSchoberg ChatGPTChatGPT forces users to compromise on privacy by linking it to reduced functionality “Dark patterns are another issue. By default, ChatGPT users allow OpenAI to use their data for model training, exposing them to memorization risks. The opt-out interfaces unnecessarily link privacy with reduced functionality, and the more flexible control is hard to find and use.”25 Sept 2023·tianshi_li·Obstruction, Preselection BlinkitBlinkit using disguised advertisements by using same copy as system functions “IMO push notifications should not have the same copy as system functions. I also had not ordered anything. I saw this and thought someone was trying to call me and then realised it’s just a random notification.”25 Sept 2023·NCResq·Disguised ads SwiggySwiggy adding hidden costs during food order checkout “Holy moly. This is actual fraud and I found that @Swiggy is doing this even for me! Here’s my last order and it adds up to 255.60. But they charge 259? This stinks. It can’t be some random error, it seems to be on purpose to add rs. 3 extra. What’s going on?”24 Sept 2023·deepakshenoy·Hidden Costs FacebookFacebook using trick working to target ads based on user activity“Use this activity” is an unusual choice of words, huh. (screenshot from @facebook yesterday)23 Sept 2023·darkpatterns FotorFotor uses double negatives confusing users to opt-out of marketing advertisements“@darkpatterns this double-negative is a classic by now, thx @fotor_com”22 Sept 2023·tuexss·Trick wording, Preselection MastercardHow Mastercard sells its ‘gold mine’ of transaction dataMastercard knows where you shop, on what day, and how much you spend - and it sells that data widely to third parties like data brokers and advertisers. Our new investigation out today20 Sept 2023·R.J. Cross CiscoCisco Proposes Employee Location Tracking System“The network technology giant Cisco offers to turn Wi-Fi access points installed in offices and other buildings into a system that tracks the location of employees, customers, smartphones, laptops and other devices for a wide range of purposes I took a deep div…”20 Sept 2023·Wolfie Christl ApolloApollo makes its hard to cancel it’s subscription by redirecting it to an unresponsive chatbot “Big time dark pattern by @MeetApollo when trying to cancel on their monthly self-serve plan. Cancel Plan button triggers a bot chat in order to cancel and then they don’t respond 😑 @darkpatterns”19 Sept 2023·thedbeaudoin·Hard to cancel LearnDeskLearnDesk makes it hard for user to cancel account for the past 3 years“It doesn’t get more “sludge” than LearnDesk. Trying to cancel my account for the past 3 years. Now I finally get these instructions with a screen shot. Well, the “delete account” button does not exist on my profile.”18 Sept 2023·c_a_gravert·Hard to cancel TwitterTwitter not labeling the advertisements attracting liability for non-disclosure“Twitter not marking ads as ads any more. I was wondering why this craptastic tweet was showing up in my TL. (It was an ad, just not marked as such)”17 Sept 2023·RobertFreundLaw GoogleGoogle to pay $93m in settlement over deceptive location trackingTech giant ‘continued to collect and store a user’s location data’ even if users turned off their location history, according to suit15 Sept 2023·Johana Bhuiyan·Preselection TiktokIrish Data Protection Commission announces €345 million fine of TikTokTikTok fined €345 million and ordered to become legally compliant within 3 months. “The fine relates to non-private settings, lack of transparency and use of dark patterns.” 🙌15 Sept 2023·darkpatterns AdobeAdobe makes it hard for users to cancel its subscription “Every year, Adobe sends me an email notifying me that they will increase the price of Creative Cloud from €29,99 to €52,06 per month (+44%!). And every year, I take the same steps to keep my old price: I pretend that I want to cancel my plan, stating it’s “too expensive,” and in the end, they offer a “special deal” for €29,99 for another full year.”15 Sept 2023·bytebln·Hard to cancel NotionNotion’s subscription plan set to yearly instead of monthly without consent of users“What happens when a genius PM & UX designer work together at Notion? 👇 Backstory, I got $910 credits from Stripe Atlas to try out Notion. Cool, who doesn’t like free credits! Finally, I used up all the credits and got charged $90. So I decided the party was over, let’s downgrade the plan to free. But for some odd reason, the account is set to yearly, instead of monthly without my consent (Notion manually approves and applies the credit), and once I used up my credits. BOOOOM! My next invoice is set for Feb 2024 for a whopping $2,150.”15 Sept 2023·MrNick_Buzz·Sneaking TwitterTwitter is Still Throttling Competitors’ Links—Check for Yourself“The MarkUp has built a tool to see how much Twitter is throttling links to various sites. Conclusion - it’s doing it to all it’s competitors.”15 Sept 2023·Jon Keegan, Dan Phiffer and Joel Eastwood Gatwick AirportGatwick Airport website uses disguised advertisement to sign users up to a third-party monthly subscription“By clicking above, you can join our partner programme for 15 pounds/month and claim your reward.” This dialog is styled to look like part of the first party payment process, but in fact it’s an advertisement for http://completesavings.co.uk.13 Sept 2023·darkpatterns·Hidden subscription, Disguised ads Yoga InsuranceYoga Insurance obstructs users by making it hard to cancel their automatic renewal“This is @InsuranceYoga . You see this after you request to cancel automatic renewal. You’re also required to enter a cancellation reason in a free text field. Viewing the discount takes you out of the cancellation journey - you have to start again if unhappy with the discount.”11 Sept 2023·darkpatterns·Hard to cancel BMWBMW Drops Heated Seats Subscription“BMW has made a U-turn on a controversial subscription service that saw drivers pay a fee to activate the heated seats already fitted to their car.”7 Sept 2023·Deceptive Patterns Bluebird GroupBluebird Group forces users to turn on OS notifications to use the app“You can’t use @Bluebirdgroup app unless you turn on OS notifications.”7 Sept 2023·darkpatterns Programiz PROProgramiz PRO disables unsubscribe page to prevent users from unsubscribing“@Programiz disabled the input and button on the unsubscribe page to prevent users from unsubscribing!? […]”5 Sept 2023·khajimatov JPMorgan ChaseJPMorgan Chase Seeks to Prohibit Card Customers From Suing“Forced arbitration clauses are a fancy way for companies to force customers to waive their right to go to court when they’re cheated. And @JPMorgan @Chase just snuck them back into the fine print of their credit cards.”1 Sept 2023·walid·Sneaking, Visual interference JPMorgan ChaseJP Morgan Chase Forces customers to sign arbitration clauses to sign in“So @JPMorgan @Chase is forcing me into forced arbitration to sign into my account online. Anybody else seeing that?”1 Sept 2023·walid AmazonUsers automatically enrolled in Amazon Prime subscription while choosing ‘continue with Amazon Prime’ delivery“I can’t believe this dark pattern is still being used by @amazon . If you’re quickly clicking it looks like this button provides two options - continuing with Amazon Prime or continuing with normal delivery. If you do click this button by accident, you’ll be automatically subscribed to Amazon Prime. There is no easy way to undo the subscription. So gross.”22 Aug 2023·cameronsmith MicrosoftWindows 11 has made the “clean Windows install” an oxymoron‘This process is annoying enough the first time, but at some point down the line, you’ll also be offered […] the “second chance out-of-box experience,” , which will try to get you to do all of this stuff again if you skipped some of it the first time.’22 Aug 2023·Andrew Cunningham·Nagging The SunThe Sun (EU) uses a deceptive UI in its cookie dialog“Dark patterns in privacy. There are at least 3 problems with this EU-based cookie banner, can you spot them?”22 Aug 2023·LuizaJarovsky PelotonPeloton making users re-setup basic functionality to change their membership“Pausing your @onepeloton membership is really made to be a painful experience. Making you re-setup the bike to use basic functionality like you just formatted it. Plus the dark patterns just to change your membership.”22 Aug 2023·chrislepensky FacebookFacebook requires group admins to manually remove every member from the group to delete a Facebook Group“Just found out that if you want to delete a Facebook Group you’re in charge of, you have to manually remove every member one-by-one until you’re the last one left, and then you have the option to remove/delete it. This is insanely asinine. 😠”21 Aug 2023·PatFlynn FigmaFigma automatically charged its users when given file permissions“just got hit with my first surprise @figma billing where it added two editors to my bill and charged automatically when all I did was give them file permissions on one file. wild to me how a company who does so much good for the community still hasn’t fixed this dark pattern”19 Aug 2023·kyleturman SkypeSkype does not allow users a granular control of notifications“Skype is sending this notification once per day. For a communications app to abuse notifications in this way is unconscionable. Of course I can’t turn them off. I just have to endure the abuse. Absolute shame on Skype and Microsoft.”18 Aug 2023·benthompson YoutubeYouTube accused of aiming ads at kids after promising it wouldn’t do that“Adalytics alleges that YouTube appears to set long-lasting cookies specifically for users who are watching videos labeled “for kids.” It also suggested that serves “targeted ads on YouTube videos that are clearly labeled as ‘for kids.’""18 Aug 2023·Thomas Claburn Wall Street JournalGo on a date with a reporter to cancel your Wall Street Journal subscriptionWall Street Journal requires it users to go on a date with a reporter to cancel its subscription. (Satire)18 Aug 2023·soren_iverson·Hard to cancel SpaceshipSpaceship allowed upgrading of account but not downgrading“disappointed by the dark patterns I’ve encountered over at @spaceship ! pretty weak that you built the ability to upgrade your account but not downgrade.”17 Aug 2023·felixthehat AmazonCancelling Amazon Prime: An interactive, behavioural remedyCancelling Amazon Prime - An interactive, behavioural remedy17 Aug 2023·Jerome Ribot·Hard to cancel EksterEkster held liable for using fake reference prices to run sales“Here’s yet another class action about fake “sale” prices. Remember: using fake reference prices to run sales is illegal under the FTC Act and California’s laws. This time, ecommerce wallet brand Ekster is in the crosshairs:”17 Aug 2023·RobertFreundLaw YoutubeYouTube Will Display a Blank Home Feed if Your Watch History Is Turned Off“You can choose to turn on your watch history to get recommended videos, or stick with a simpler home page.”9 Aug 2023·Gael Fashingbauer Cooper MetaNorway to fine Meta $98,500 a day over user privacy breach from 14 AugustNorway’s data privacy watchdog has fined Meta $6.8 million for violating users’ privacy by using their personal data to target ads as it failed to get users’ consent to use data about their interests to serve them personalized ads.7 Aug 2023·Betsy Reed ZoomZoom terms now allow training AI on user content with no opt out “Users agree to allow Zoom to access and use their Service Generated Data for various purposes, including product development, marketing, analytics, and improving their services, in accordance with applicable laws and this Agreement.”6 Aug 2023·darkpatterns·Preselection WeBuyAnyPhoneWeBuyAnyPhone pressurizes users with a fake countdown and a free trial to trap in a recurring subscription “A double whammy of deceptive patterns from webuyanyphone.com. First, a countdown timer pressuring you to “secure this value” by checking out quickly. Second, a £5 bonus if you sign up for a “free trial” of McAfee, which sets up a recurring subscription. cc: @darkpatterns”4 Aug 2023·DavidOfYork·Hidden subscription, Fake urgency British GasBritish Gas starts to turn off Hive smart home devices forever“British Gas starts to turn off Hive smart home devices forever”4 Aug 2023·Deceptive Patterns ScribdScribd highlights “Keep Subscription” option over “Cancellation” tricking users“This is ridiculous and I hate when companies throw dark patterns at their users to try and trick them into staying subscribed to apps. Very uncool, @Scribd”3 Aug 2023·nicheplays·Hard to cancel TwitterTwitter changes its ‘Ad’ icon placement to make it difficult to scan and easier to be scammed“The ‘Ad’ icon placement and wording has changed on Twitter. Because your eye usually automatically scans to the place where it used to be, it’s easier to get scammed at the moment by ads like this. Worth being a bit more careful than usual.”3 Aug 2023·danbarker The AthleticTheAthletic makes it hard to cancel subscription by highlighting other options “Enough with the BS dark patterns! @TheAthletic cc: @darkpatterns”3 Aug 2023·thedbeaudoin·Hard to cancel FigmaFigma does not provide any unsubscribing option to its users“I thought the unsubscribe button might have been black on black but… there is literally none! @figma @darkpatterns”3 Aug 2023·mthvrs British AirwaysBritish Airways deploys settings ignoring all user input with a default to the most privacy invading configuration“3/n Next I dealt with @British_Airways deceptive design pattern approach to pushing surveillance cookies (misleading emphasis) cc @darkpatterns #UI #fail”3 Aug 2023·cpltalk ComcastComcast and Xfinity makes cancelling service harder by making users chat with agents and bots“Hei, @comcast / @Xfinity can we stop with the dark patterns? I just want to cancel service, I don’t care to chat with your agents and your bot is just a loop. Just stop the service already.”2 Aug 2023·mihaimaruseac·Hard to cancel Daily ExpressDaily Express forces users into accepting cookies by bundling them together“1/Hello @Daily_Express I notice you’re using dark patterns in a dire ‘cookie’ notice. (a) Defaulted to ‘I accept’ which would trigger NINE HUNDRED & TEN third party ‘partners (b) Clicking ‘More options’ takes you to window showing a number of purposes set to ‘OFF’ & a choice of”2 Aug 2023·PrivacyMatters Humble BundleHumble Bundle makes it hard to cancel subscription through tricky language and greyed out options“Trying to skip a month of @humble Choice is a cacophony of @darkpatterns . Too many steps, alternating button colors to trick you into clicking the wrong thing, inconsistent language, etc.”1 Aug 2023·ItsCovarr·Hard to cancel Thrive with KPThrive with KP uses tricky legal language to threaten people to give their data “This is some creepy dark pattern bullshit from @kpthrive . They’re using the legally required language to threaten people into allowing them to profit of health data sales and sharing by making it seem as though you are somehow giving up HIPAA protections in order to protect data”1 Aug 2023·spjika CrunchyrollCrunchyroll replaces the cancel button with a “keep subscription” button making it hard to opt out“new dark pattern dropped. Cant cancel your @Crunchyroll account if you replace the cancel button with a “keep subscription” button! X should do this, seems effective.”31 Jul 2023·BritonBaker·Hard to cancel SpecscartSpecscart uses manual check boxing as a means to unsubscribe from email preferences “@darkpatterns Nonsensical unsubscribe button and check boxes. Am I unsubscribing by checking or subscribing? (Specscart)”29 Jul 2023·lenainbros·Preselection DominosDominos cash back reward tricked into joining partner programme for 15 pounds/month“We should boycott companies like @Dominos_UK that use these kinds of predatory schemes to try and trick people into subscriptions they don’t need. Frankly this should be illegal. Especially the dark pattern that makes it look at a glance like it’s part of the order process.”28 Jul 2023·PhonicUK ShutterstockShutterstock deploys recurring annual plans or termination with massive penalty”. @Shutterstock is seriously the worst. I didn’t even know I signed up for an annual sub the way they do dark patterns in their checkout, now they try to hold you hostage by paying $60 to cancel? I haven’t used this in 4 months you got way more than your $60. Awful service.”24 Jul 2023·lissijean PatientPatient Company using trick wording to continue collecting data “6/ It really is important to understand that if a person selects ‘More Options’ then ‘Reject All’, then ‘Save & Exit’, those action do NOT disable the ‘Legitimate Interest’ purposes. A person would need to select ‘Legitimate Interest’ then select ‘OBJECT ALL’ & ‘Save & Exit’”19 Jul 2023·PrivacyMatters·Trick wording MasterClassMasterClass greys out option to reject cookies titled “Edit cookie preferences”“@darkpatterns get a load of this slimy shit”19 Jul 2023·ivanbelcic MetaMeta uses surveillance based advertising The Norwegian data protection authority is issuing a ban on Meta’s use of surveillance-based advertising. Happy to see some actual enforcement of the GDPR!17 Jul 2023·airavn InstagramThe ‘Threads’ App is FILLED With Deceptive Dark Design Patterns – We Spotted More Than TEN - Yanko DesignThe Threads app almost immediately displayed a whole bunch of dark patterns with its user interface. We spotted at least 11 of them, and we’re sure there are a lot more to come. Here are some highly evident dark tricks the Threads app is using to ensure you stay on the platform as long as you possibly can… and supply Meta with even more data than before.7 Jul 2023·Sarang Sheth·Hard to cancel, Visual interference Ultra Fast Keto BoostUltra Fast Keto Boost using fake scarcity and urgency to falsely urge customers to act quickly“Here’s an example of how a false advertising claim about “limited supply” representations can survive a pleadings challenge: The makers of “Ultra Fast Keto Boost” ran ads claiming a “limited supply” and urging customers to act quickly.”7 Jul 2023·RobertFreundLaw·Fake scarcity InstagramUsers are outraged and ‘trapped’ after realizing you can’t delete Meta’s new Threads app without deleting Instagram tooApparently you can’t delete threads without deleting Instagram. A new form of sludge! @jiayingzhao @R_Thaler @katy_milkman @ideas42 @CassSunstein @stuart_mmills @UofT_BEAR @avicgoldfarb @StephaneCoteTO6 Jul 2023·Charissa Cheong UbiquitiUbiquiti Inc application mandates creating an account to use while not so when accessed via the browser“Nice “dark pattern” there, @Ubiquiti . In the ‘app’, i MUST create a cloud account. But if I connect to the console via the browser, I can skip that step.”5 Jul 2023·leyrer SiriusXMSiriusXM Canada makes canceling subscription hard “It took over a half an hour of wasted time on the phone with @siriusxmcanada to cancel the other day. Called because of #Overbilling I must have said “please just cancel my account” at least 50 times. Ridiculous.”5 Jul 2023·fastpuppy·Hard to cancel AdobeAdobe enrolls users into the subscription model using free trial“Dark pattern from @adobe . There’s no option to skip the trial and just use the free version, so the burden is on the user to remember to cancel.”5 Jul 2023·MikeCalcagno·Hidden subscription Foot LockerFoot Locker creates false sense of urgency stating limited stock for its products “A lawsuit filed yesterday against Foot Locker accuses the brand of using a “false urgency” dark pattern—claiming items are running out of stock, when they aren’t:”4 Jul 2023·RobertFreundLaw·Fake scarcity MicrosoftMicrosoft Edge used as default for links from Outlook app“If you have a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, browser links from the Outlook app will open in Microsoft Edge by default””27 Jun 2023·darkpatterns GoogleYelp Sues Google Over Antitrust Violations“Yelp sues Google for antitrust violations”26 Jun 2023·The Verge Publishers Clearing HousePublishers Clearing House to refund customers $18.5 million in FTC settlement for ‘deceptive’ practicesThis is our second dark pattern lawsuit over the last week,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said of the PCH lawsuit in a written statement. “Firms that continue to deploy deceptive design techniques are on notice.26 Jun 2023·Greg Iacurci Sydney Morning HeraldSydney Morning Herald requires users to call for canceling their subscriptions “Classic @darkpatterns from @smh this should be illegal. Or, they can ask you to sign up over the phone too!”22 Jun 2023·JoelDignam·Hard to cancel AmazonFTC sues Amazon over ‘deceptive’ Prime sign-up and cancellation processThe FTC on Wednesday sued Amazon, alleging it tricked customers into signing up for its Prime subscription program and intentionally complicated the cancellation process. The agency claims Amazon used so-called “dark patterns” to steer users to enroll in Prime without their consent.21 Jun 2023·Annie Palmer·Hard to cancel Adore MeAdore Me Reaches $2.35M Settlement Over “Deceptive” MarketingAdore Me lured consumers into their VIP Membership Program without being upfront about the automatic charges and membership terms20 Jun 2023·The Fashion Law·Preselection TinderTinder Gold Membership Discount using Dark Pattern “Extremely transparent dark patterns @darkpatterns 50% × £17.99 = …”19 Jun 2023·siberianpine The TimesSubscription of Times+ requires users to tick boxes to opt out of marketing “Dark patterns are everywhere. We just accept them as tools of engagement!”18 Jun 2023·SuB8u·Preselection twitter.comDenny’s uses pre-ticked boxes while bundling users choice of accepting terms and conditions along with promotional activity “@darkpatterns Not the worst I’ve seen. But still petty”17 Jun 2023·answrguy·Preselection SteinbergSteinberg requires mandatory signing up to the newsletter for downloading products (free products inclusive)”. @darkpatterns from steinberg, makers of cubase: you have to sign up for their newsletter to download any of their products, even the free ones. other audio plugin developers make you sign up for a newsletter for free downloads too. i’ve never seen anyone else pull this shit.”17 Jun 2023·EricE549 LinkedinLinkedIn making opting out of email notifications tedious by involving navigating through minimum 64 menus“ever tried to stop email notifications on linkedin? did you know it takes a minimum of navigating 64 menus? it is incredibly user-hostile 1/n @darkpatterns”17 Jun 2023·AzureAndChill Hugging FaceHugging Face Criticised Over Unconsented Data Use“1/ Hey Hugging Face, NO. You do not have my consent to use my content and personal data to train your AI and ML models. If you believe my consent isn’t needed, then I otherwise object. Also, have you deleted the data you obtained from BlueSky”13 Jun 2023·Pat Walshe - Privacy Matters Nextdoor_UK Nextdoor newsfeed preferences: “Your selection expires in 60 days.”“Check out this level 9000 @darkpatterns on NextDoor”13 Jun 2023·andyhattemer MicrosoftWindows 10 with keeps nagging for the user to “finish setting up the PC”“@windows 10 with another @darkpatterns where it keeps nagging for the user to “finish setting up the PC” when it’s more than set up intentionally without an on line account and the screen does NOT have a choice to “not ask this again”. Instead it makes you click “remind me later” as if you wanted to be nagged again. Can we stop this, @Microsoft ? It’s condescending!”12 Jun 2023·TheSimArchitect·Nagging HanglyD2C startup Hangly where Cancellations can only be processed after the 2nd transaction of your subscription plan“@hangly: your cancellation policy is downright evil. Seriously, couldn’t your UX team find any smaller font for that gotcha in your cancellation terms?”8 Jun 2023·SaumikTiwari·Hard to cancel Picture ThisPicture This: App uses deceptive tactics to trick users into paid upgrades and makes it difficult to cancel subscriptions.“This is a free app that uses a very deceptive means of tricking users to upgrade to the paid version which is $29 to $49 a year. When you open the app the screen presents three screens promoting the paid version. On the first two screens there is no way to bypass them and you are forced to press a large continue button. On the third screen is the same pitch to try it free for one week and the same large continue button. Only if you look carefully can you find the very small and muted x at the top left on the page. We accidentally clicked on the continue button and was immediately enrolled in the 7 day free trial with a notice we will be billed automatically on our iPhone on the 8th day unless we cancel. I am trying to cancel the subscription but there is no indication whatsoever on the app how to opt out. This is very disappointing since this is a scientific plant identification app and I would not have suspected that a science/educational app would resort to deceptive tactics.”6 Jun 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel IMDbStay informed with IMDb notifications - ‘Update Now’ and ‘Later Options’“The wording here (“Update now”) strikes me as something of a ⁦ @darkpatterns ⁩ — it almost implies that the app is out of date, and should just be labelled “Subscribe”. (At least the default option is to dismiss the button.)”5 Jun 2023·insequential KATU NewsKATU News Processing Preferences “Damn if I ever seen a #darkpattern this is it. If you want to decline tracking it claims it takes several minutes and it gives you a huge green button to cancel (=accept tracking).”5 Jun 2023·BjorklundVictor MicrosoftUse Microsoft Edge - the best and recommended browser setting for Windows “For the umpteenth time: NO! Remove this dark pattern! @Microsoft”4 Jun 2023·Steltek Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente making it hard to get one’s money back“And I’m sure it’s a coincidence that I can pay over the phone and online but in order to get my money back I have to fax or mail @KPMidAtlantic they have so much incentive to just hoard peoples money. Make it as hard as possible to get your money back. Just scammers and thugs.”2 Jun 2023·torquetastic MaxStreamOnMax forcing users to watch trailers“Why are you using these annoying dark patterns @StreamOnMax to try to force me to watch trailers? (cc @darkpatterns )”31 May 2023·MarijnSax InstagramInstagram forcing users to continue synching contacts“Somehow I accidentally clicked something in Instagram and ended up here. There was no way to exit. The only options were to continue synching with my contacts which I didn’t want to do or read more. I had to swipe close the whole app.”30 May 2023·carlhendy NotionNotion making it difficult to find the downgrade button with a tiny grayed option“Wow, it only took me 20 minutes of searching and watching youtube videos to find the downgrade button in @NotionHQ . The tiny grayed “see all plans” button really helped. Couldn’t believe this happened in 2023, there is no better example of dark patterns @darkpatterns than this.”28 May 2023·JunyuDesign·Obstruction DominosDominos and Papa Johns cash back reward tricked into joining partner programme for 15 pounds/month“Have you seen this £15 a month for a cash back reward dark pattern being used by Dominos and Papa Johns?”28 May 2023·ClaydenChambers HPHP printers should have EPEAT ecolabels revoked, trade group demandsThe truth is, Dynamic Security has nothing at all to do with security, and everything to do with frustrating consumers who choose non-HP cartridges in an effort to improve sales of genuine HP cartridges.27 May 2023·Scharon Harding Whole Body ResearchWhole Body Research: Defaults to buying large quantities of supplements“While purchasing supplements, the option defaults to buying a quantity of six bottles (or another large quantity) as opposed to purchasing a single individual one.”26 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line Planet FitnessPlanet Fitness: Required notarized letter to cancel membership“During the height of pandemic (last year) my wife and I were on lockdown. We noticed on our credit card statements that Planet Fitness continued to collect their monthly charge. We attempted to cancel our membership by going to the Planet Fitness website only to find there was no way to cancel online. I had to call my gym only to be told I had to submit a notarized letter before they would entertain my request. Needless to say, we are no longer interested in becoming members.”26 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel StarbucksStarbucks using TrustArc makes declining all cookies lengthier than the acceptance process“Check out the length of the delay when the user clicks “decline all”. This is @StarbucksUK using @TrustArc .”25 May 2023·darkpatterns MicrosoftMicrosoft Edge personalization and advertising manage settings disabled for users passively benefiting them“In today’s episode of @darkpatterns : Microsoft Edge (of course!) If you click “Manage Settings”, you’ll note that Personalization & advertising is disabled. If you click the seemingly passive “Got it!”, you are telling the browser to CHANGE a setting to benefit MS financially.”24 May 2023·wdormann·Nagging AdobeAdobe’s subscription model deploys recurring annual plans or termination with massive penalty “Adobe is running the exact same dark pattern, even now. It’s just too much free money, at the expense of people who think $54.99/month means $54.99/month, and not “commit to an annual plan and pay 12x$54.99/month (or terminate for a massive penalty).” This should not be legal.”23 May 2023·GergelyOrosz JustFabJustFab: Easy signup, impossible cancellation“Signing up for monthly payment easy, cancellation impossible”19 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Brella ShieldBrella Shield: Difficult to determine the amount of Brella shields purchased“It is difficult to determine the amount of Brella shields you are purchasing. They offer $19.99 for one windshield Brella cover and one more for $9.99. Then when you click check out, they ask you a series of confusing questions about your order, like confirm you want one extra Bella shield.They have a double offer, which is by default checked off, and a single offer, which you have to switch to from the double offer to purchase an individual shield, which can be difficult to differentiate if you are not reading closely enough.”19 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection GoogleGoogle: No clear way to sign out of Google Apps on iOS“It is difficult to sign out of accounts on Google Apps on iOS. There is the ability to “remove account” or to browse without using an account but there is no clear way to sign out of your account. Furthermore, when looking for help in the help center, information on logging out or signing out does not appear despite providing information on how to sign in. Google also appears to log you into multiple apps on the same account, even if you do not have them open. For example, logging into Google Docs or Gmail will also log you into Google Maps.”19 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line AT&TAT&T: Incredibly difficult to cancel services“Incredibly difficult to cancel services.”15 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel My LifeMy Life: Extremely challenging to cancel service.“Extremely challenging to cancel paid service after free trial complete. I ended up paying for two months of their service after attempting to cancel it after bring unable to do so. The only way I was able to stop it was to call my credit card company and ask them to not authorize any payments to them.”8 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Reddit.comReddit.com: Forces login/app to see all comments on mobile“On mobile devices Reddit.com detects that you are using a mobile device and will not let you see all the deeper levels of nested replies/comments to a post UNLESS you login or use the a mobile Reddit app installed your phone. This is a dark pattern because on Desktop you can see all the nested levels of replies/comments anonymously without logging in. This is a loss of privacy and and a trick compared to the Desktop use of the site.”8 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line Three Founders PublishingThree Founders Publishing: Difficult to cancel subscription“You have to contact the customer service team between specific hours to cancel your subscription.”8 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Wellbeing LabsWellbeing Labs: Uses fake timers and stock notifications to pressure purchases“To pressure customers into buying a product, Wellbeing Labs has a countdown timer that resets itself and the limited stock of gummies does not actually disappear and there is additional pressure from seeing customers “buy” gummies in the lefthand bottom corner.”8 May 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Fake urgency, Fake scarcity MicrosoftWindows 11 Criticized for Unwanted Purchase Suggestions“Windows 11 is such ass why is my work PC giving me pop up suggestions to buy Black Ops 6”6 May 2023·Shae Revolutions SnapchatSnapchat Claims Rights to AI-Generated Likenesses“New: Snapchat is reserving the right to use your own, AI-generated likeness in ads that can then target you. The setting is on by default according to our tests”3 May 2023·Joseph Cox InstagramInstagram Implements Stricter Controls for Under-18s“Instagram users under 18 will automatically be subject to limitations on who can message them, how much sensitive content is recommended and who can see their profiles.”1 May 2023·The Washington Post MetaMeta Users Opposition to Platform Changes Revealed“The Meta thing is interesting because users have been vocally opposed to all these tweaks along the way & they have defended each one w/ metrics+engagement. But when theres competition, people are moving. Its a reminder that engagement enjoyment. Wonder what e…”27 Apr 2023·Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Pro LightingPro Lighting: Opt-in marketing button is deceptively placed and pre-checked“On a checkout page, it’s a familiar experience to be asked to opt in or out of marketing. But in every case I’ve seen so far, this choice is placed directly next to the box where I enter my email address. On this particular site, the “email me” control is checked by default, and located very far away from where I enter my email address. See the screenshot; the “email me” control is just below the order total. This spot is cleverly chosen: unfamiliar, and also easy to miss because it’s surrounded by things (total, OK button) that are both more important and graphically highlighted. This very nearly got me to agree to be spammed, without intending to. (Whether unchecking the box actually does anything is another question.)”24 Apr 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection, Visual interference Interactive BrokersUser cannot unsubscribe from marketing emails without accepting cookie tracking“I have to accept all cookies in order to unsubscribe from @IBKR marketing emails (and get similar behaviour with the website in general)”19 Apr 2023·Hard to cancel, Forced action TypeformAn analysis of the Typeform “hard to cancel” subscription cancellation journey.“Typeform makes it difficult for users to cancel their subscriptions. This analysis by growth.design unpacks the issues and provides recommendations.”19 Apr 2023·Benoni & Lavallee·Hard to cancel NowTV“To dissuade me from cancelling my subscription, @NOW threaten to increase my price for the remainder of my contract”“I signed up to @NOW at a reduced price of £5.99 (normally £9.99) as part of a 3 month special offer, Today I decided to cancel my subscription, To dissuade me from cancelling my subscription, @NOW threaten to increase my price for the remainder of my contract to the original £9.99. Ironic that NOW is home to characters like Joker and The Night King, cause this is a perfect example of scum and villainy if I’ve ever seen it. @darkpatterns”19 Apr 2023·Thisistomok ·Hard to cancel DominosUsing dark patterns to overcharge for pizza“Dominos and Pizza Hut use deceptive patterns in a confusing system of discount codes and deal finders, subtly overcharging customers.”18 Apr 2023·Peter Ramsey True ClassicA marketing email disguised as an “appointment confirmed” email, by True Classic.“In an apparent effort to boost email open rates, T-shirt vendor True Classic sent a marketing email with the subject line “Appointment Confirmed…”. This is forbidden under the CAM-SPAM act Section 5 (a) (2) “Prohibition of deceptive subject headings”.”16 Apr 2023·Thisistomok MicrosoftMicrosoft Ties Job Tools to Unwanted Advertising“Love this deceptive pattern from Microsoft in which they bundle something many want (listing better jobs) with something else few people care about (ads). Are you ready for the same lack of enforcement with DMA consent that we are getting with the GDPR?”14 Apr 2023·Robin Berjon DirecTVDirecTV: Cannot cancel premium channels online“You cannot cancel premium channels online.”13 Apr 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel SpectrumSpectrum: Difficult to cancel or downgrade and poor refund policy“To sign up for their services or to upgrade, one follows the prompts they provide. When we sign on or upgrade, we get right through, easy peasy, no wait times. Nice reps, etc. We’ve also needed to cancel before and downgrade our plans again following the prompts to get the correct rep/dept. The difference is night and day! We’ve waiting at least an hour on hold twice and an hour and a half once and that time finally hung up because we ran out of patience. They make it extremely difficult to get through to cancel or downgrade AND their refund method is borderline thievery. Instead of a prorated refund if terminating or downgrading anytime during a month, no prorated refund is given. If you cancel mid month, one loses all monies. In our case one time we finally grew so fed up with their tactics that we decided to cancel. Unaware that we were ONE day into our plan month they refused to refund us for the month that we were canceling/losing! They argued that we were one day into the month so we owed the full $175.00! We called back and spoke with supervisors and didn’t get anywhere.”13 Apr 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel VimeoClass Action Claims Vimeo Automatic Subscription Renewals Violate California LawA proposed class action alleges Vimeo automatically renews consumers’ subscription plans without first making certain disclosures required under California law.13 Apr 2023·Kelly Mehorter·Hidden subscription Der Standard newspaper“Pay or Okay” - the beginning of the end? “PUR Abo” on derStandard.at illegal according to Austrian DPAAustrian daily newspaper “Der Standard” launched an attempt to circumvent the law: readers had to choose between their data being processed or buying a subscription.11 Apr 2023·Noyb NFLNFL: Defaulted to expedited shipping fee“When you purchase merchandise from their website, they default you to the expedited shipping fee, tripling the shipping cost, and you have to decline it rather than choose it. If you don’t catch it, you just paid a lot more in shipping fees than you should have to get your items.”27 Mar 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line Naked WinesNaked Wines: Requires email for offer“They have an introductory offer to chose six wines for $49.99 but you need to give them your email address to obtain the offer.”19 Mar 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Forced action VRBOVRBO: Hidden fees inflated total price“They will advertise a property for, say $75 per night. That is what you are willing to pay so you proceed to try to book it. You may want it for three nights and think that you might pay $225 or maybe just a little bit more but the total comes up to much more with added cleaning fee, service fee owners fee, and a host of other possible fees, so your total for the three nights may be well over 2X what you were planning, and able, to pay.”6 Mar 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hidden Costs Tactical USATactical USA: Tricked into unwanted subscription with difficult cancellation and unexpected charges“I was told that I would receive free goods from this site if I signed up for only one dollar membership and that I could easily cancel at anytime. My credit card was charged numerous times totalling over eighty dollars! I tried calling them numerous times to no avail. I told them I wanted to cancel & the lady told me I would need to call back in 45 minutes as the computers were down. So I called back & spoke with another person that told me she needed my credit card number and telephone number to verify membership. I didn’t give it to her but unfortunately the damage was already done before I contacted my bank & canceled the card! I just don’t want this to happen to anyone else. It has made me fearful to buy anything else online.”28 Feb 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Hello FreshHello Fresh: Difficult to cancel via app, forced to use website“Very easy to join but very hard to cancel – you can’t cancel from the Hello Fresh app. You are required to login to the website in order to cancel. When you search for “cancel” on their help pages, they bury the information and then show you instructions as to how to skip deliveries first.”28 Feb 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel NuubuNuubu: Misleading banners about stock and purchases“The website places coercive banners at the top of the site telling how many items are left in stock and banners of people purchasing the foot pads in the bottom left corner. However, the items left in stock does not change with more supposed purchases.”20 Feb 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Fake scarcity Hartford CourantHartford Courant: Difficulty canceling subscription“It’s been very difficult to cancel my subscription despite being able to easily subscribe. The site is like a brick wall. I may be able to do it by disputing the charge with my credit card but I have called several times to cancel to no avail.”13 Feb 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel FloRugbyFloRugby: Required email before showing subscription cost, then sent unsolicited emails“I had to provide my email BEFORE I could find out what the cost of a subscription to this streaming channel was, After ending the session (because the cost turned out to be too high), I immediately started getting emails from them that I had not agreed to receive.”13 Feb 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line Cybrary.comCybrary.com: Difficult subscription cancellation“Made it difficult to cancel subscription. Cancelling a subscription required navigating multiple hoops, and filling out a form with a ton of required fields to cancel. The website then guilt-trips you several times over.”13 Feb 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Stamps.comStamps.com: Misleading subscription for postage delivery“They made it sound as if you could easily have regular US postage stamps delivered to your door. It turns they’re a private company and it is a subscription. It required you to print the postage and I couldn’t figure out how to cancel the subscription for a while. I was billed for months before I realized it.”29 Jan 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line AmazonAmazon: Deceptive “Cart” button hides “proceed to checkout”“This one is not as nefarious as others, but just to get the ball rolling… The “Cart” button on Amazon is almost hidden by color as compared to the “proceed to checkout” button. I’ve hastily clicked proceed to cart numerous times when attempting to review my purchase.”29 Jan 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Visual interference HumbleBundle.comHumbleBundle.com: Purchase price division is hard to set evenly“HumbleBundle allows you some control in how your purchase price gets divided amongst the content creators, HumbleBundle themselves, and a charity. In the example screenshot, my purchase price is $10. (Note moving any one of the three sliders moves the other two, so it’s hard to set an even split or even value)”29 Jan 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line BBCBBC: Deceptive registration banner attempts to guilt users into creating an account“Visiting a page on the news site invokes a banner prompting to create an account. The ‘Register’ prompt is pre-selected and the ‘Maybe later’ option is inconspicuous. Plus ‘Maybe later’ leads the user to have to make a false statement about their future intent if they have absolutely no intention of ever registering. It attempts to guilt the person into registering or implying they wish to do so but do not have the time right now.”19 Jan 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection, Forced action KasperskyKaspersky: Confusing subscription terms“In its cart/website, Kaspersky claims that their subscription can be cancelled at anytime. If you add anything to their cart, it will say: “You can cancel anytime”. Of course, one might think “great, I can cancel the subscription”. But actually, what you cancel is the autorenewing of the subscription. You are not guaranteed a refund. You can only be assured of that if you click on the “Read More” tool tip “How to cancel You can cancel the auto-renewal of your SUBSCRIPTION at any time. If you cancel, you will have full protection until the end of the already paid term. After this date, your subscription will end, and you will not be charged for any subsequent periods.””19 Jan 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hidden subscription AmazonAmazon: Misleading Privacy Banner“This pattern can be found on the Twitch.tv website (as of January 10th, 2023) When you visit the site for the first time – there is a Privacy Banner on top stating that the company “values your privacy” and has two buttons “Opt-out preferences” and “Proceed”.”19 Jan 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection Europa PressEuropa Press: Cookie settings force individual deselection with no “reject all” option, while “accept all” is easy“The settings requires you to individually deselect a very long list of cookie options, with no reject all, but there is an easy way to accept all.”16 Jan 2023·Dark Patterns Tip Line Money Super MarketMoney Super Market uses double negative working to trick users to subscribe to emails“Lazy design or an extra, unnecessary barrier to unsubscribing?”5 Jan 2023·darkpatterns·Trick wording WinredWinred tricks users into a monthly subscription“Dark pattern. Check the “make it monthly” they “helpfully” autocheck for you. Page from the Drumpf playbook. Least it’s in highlight yellow.”5 Jan 2023·r_ffin·Hidden subscription MetaMeta (Facebook / Instagram) to move to a “Pay for your Rights” approach“Fundamental rights cannot be for sale. Are we going to pay for the right to vote or the right to free speech next? This would mean that only the rich can enjoy these rights, at a time when many people are struggling to make ends meet. Introducing this idea in the area of your right to data protection is a major shift. We would fight this up and down the courts” - @maxschrems for @NOYBeu5 Jan 2023·LuizaJarovsky T-MobileT-Mobile: Confusing cookie choices due to negative phrasing“Section: “Do not sell my personal information:” Option: “on this website” Options: “on/off” Most sites ask: “we want to do x: do you want us to do this?” This site asks: “we want to do x: do you not want us to do this?” Adding the negative is unexpected, and preys on the assumptions built up from from other sites.”25 Nov 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line ticketmasterTicketmaster: High fees added at final step“Ticketmaster is perhaps the prime example of this – you probably have gotten multiple submissions. They add high fees that aren’t revealed until the final step before “Complete purchase”. It costs more than my budgeted amount for tickets frequently when I purchase tickets via Ticketmaster. A friend of mine once was going to buy a ticket, only to discover that the Ticketmaster fees were more than the cost of the ticket itself – he did not purchase the ticket. You can recreate the experience by purchasing any ticket via Ticketmaster. Photo sourced from: https://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinfuriating/comments/opiq9b/8178_in_fees_for_two_concert_tickets_but_dont/”12 Nov 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line Sunset MagazineSunset Magazine: Magazine became online-only, making subscription cancellation difficult“Since the magazine stopped printing and went totally online, I have been trying to cancel my subscription, but have yet to be successful. I have waded through their unsubscribe process, but always get lost in the system. I don’t want an online magazine subscription. It is frustrating!”12 Nov 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Sun SentinelSun Sentinel: Difficult to cancel subscription or remove credit card information without calling customer service“It’s very easy to subscribe to this newspaper and enter your credit card information. You can go back and change the card you use for payment. Impossible to cancel or remove credit card information without having to speak to customer service. The CSR’s that take your call will offer a cheaper subscription but the information they provide is not accurate. Took three calls to cancel the subscription after they attempted to triple the cost.”6 Nov 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel AmazonAmazon: Automatically signs up for auto repurchase“When I purchase a product, Amazon automatically signs me up for auto repurchase.The checkbox of auto repurchase is checked.It should default to unchecked.”6 Nov 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection IpsyIpsy: Complicated membership cancellation process“Ipsy makes it incredibly difficult to cancel a membership. Plus, they treat their glam bags and refreshments as separate memberships, so you must separately cancel each if you wish to cancel all. The cancel flow is filled with dark patterns including having 24 hours to click a button on an email that doesn’t get delivered right away.”6 Nov 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Vestiaire CollectiveVestiaire Collective: Unequal button weighting for cookie choices“The option to not accept cookies is not an official button unlike the button to accept cookies. It is instead bolded letters on the left that could be potentially hard to distinguish from the text above. The weight of the choices is not equal because one has a more accessible design (the option to opt-in to cookies) than the other.”31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Forced action DisqoDisqo: Misleading cookie settings“Cookie settings difficult to navigate. As soon as you try to turn off cookies, a button pops up at the top saying ‘allow all” which automatically ignores your choices.”31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line My Fitness PalMy Fitness Pal: Freemium option hidden by obscure X“The interface seems to suggest, upon registration, that the only two options for using an app are an annual or monthly paid option (with a “free” trial). The freemium option is available by clicking a partially obscured X in the upper part of the screen.”31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line VenmoVenmo: Opt-out requires mailing a physical letter“Venmo’s arbitration opt-out requires literally mailing them a piece of paper. Of course, continuing to use the service and agree to their mandatory arbitration does not require that. See the agreement to arbitrate section here – https://venmo.com/legal/us-user-agreement/ https://twitter.com/KendraSerra/status/1517520309183606786/photo/1”31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection TheSoul PublishingTheSoul Publishing: Cookie opt-out button disguised to encourage “allow all”“On their Brightside.me website, the cookie opt-out disguises the “confirm my choices” as though it isn’t a button, encouraging users to instead click “allow all and close.””31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection CanaryCanary: Difficult to cancel premium service“To reproduce this you will have to have a premium subscription. * Scroll to the bottom to “Manage” premium service. * That takes you to a pricing page and in a small text link “Cancel Premium Service” * Clicking on that will take you to your first confirmation page detailing the feature you are going to lose. Click remove this feature. * Takes you to another page that asks why you’re canceling. Click on the reason such as “Premium is too expensive” * Takes you to yet another page that says “Maybe we can help” with a link to their help center and another plain text link “Continue to cancel” * The final page tells you to call a telephone number to cancel premium service.”31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal: Difficult subscription cancellation process“The Wall Street Journal makes it very easy to sign up for subscriptions online, but doesn’t allow users to cancel their subscription via the same method (online). They also have a “cancel via SMS” option on their subscription customer center which then collects your cell phone number. And, that cancellation via SMS is also not a valid to cancel your subscription. So not only do I need to call, wait on hold and provide them with my mailing address to cancel, they also now have my cell phone number. The harm is anguish, mental exhaustion and a forfeiture of my personal information.”31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel T-MobileT-Mobile: Unclear opt-out button“The option to opt-out is an ‘off-on’ button that is incredibly unclear (does ‘off’ mean that they will NOT sell my information? or that the opt-out if ‘off’, meaning they WILL sell my information?).”31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection HaysHays: Complicated cookie opt-out process“The Hays recruitment “TrustArc” cookies dialogue has these bizarre features: 1. The first page has 2 blue buttons on hard left: “Agree and Proceed”, “Required Only” with “View cookie settings” on hard right in plain text. 2. View cookie settings has a vertical slider which makes each category available to click. You need to slide it down vertically to display what’s enabled or disabled. 3. To actually make changes to the categories, you then need to click “Advanced settings” 4. The advanced settings allow you to switch cookies off for Functional and Advertising cookies, BUT to view what’s actually listed in each category you have to click “View Cookies>” on each category. 5. There’s a pseudo-toggle to switch off Functional and Advertising cookies. The toggle values are “out” and “in”, with the selection highlighted in blue text on a grey background. 6.Once that’s done, you then click Submit preferences and allegedly the choices are recorded.”31 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection MeriStationMeriStation: Cookie consent requires extra clicks to disable“There is not a big deny all button right next to the accept button, but rather a configure button that makes me have then click a disable all button.”18 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line GreyhoundGreyhound: Uses a timer to pressure decision making“Greyhound’s website uses a timer to pressure my decision making while I browse for fares.”18 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line SiriusXMSiriusXM: Difficult to unsubscribe and offered misleading price plans“Making it difficult to unsubscribe. Once logged in to my account online, there is an option to unsubscribe. However, when you click on it, you’re given 3 options: one to look at other price plans, one to transfer a subscription, and one to cancel by calling their toll-free number. When you call the number, you’re routed through a sequence that wants to update the antenna in your car, regardless of requesting to cancel the subscription by choosing the appropriate option on the menu. When finally given the choice to speak with a customer service representative, the automated system says they’re having too many calls, and would you rather text with a representative? When opting for that choice, you again begin with a bot, before being transferred to a human (maybe?) who then tries to sell you another plan. When I was given the option of a cheaper plan, I was told it was the same promotional plan I used to be on when I first subscribed. So, when that promotion ended, the cost went from about $5 a month to over $20. I had called to cancel and was given a $10 option, and told it was the least expensive option. Now I’m being offered a $5 option again, and wouldn’t I like to remain a loyal and valued customer? When I asked what the difference was, I had it returned to me that I CHOSE the $10 plan, but that was because no other cheaper plan had been offered at the time. The rationale: this $5 plan is a promotion available as of June 15th.”18 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel StarzStarz: Unsubscribing is impossible despite being advertised as easy“Unsubscribing is advertised as easy to do online, yet it is impossible. The unsubscribe button leads to a blank screen, giving the impression that perhaps it worked. But it definitely does not and I am continually charged. I called the provided phone number, but the person who answered cannot unsubscribe me, they just send my “request” to the company. The link shows how it is supposed to work, the screenshot shows how it does not work.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel The EconomistThe Economist: Deceptive Subscription Cancellation“Trivial self-service subscription through website Deceptive subscription cancelation process. Appears as a simple button press, followed by a screen asking for confirmation and an option to select a reason from a set of choices. This does not cancel a subscription but presents three options: Contact customer support by phone, contact customer support by live chat, or keep the subscription. The live chat option was a needlessly drawn out series of retention tactics, while requests to confirm cancelation were ignored. A ~1 minute subscription process is countered by a nearly 20 minute chat. The account management page design gives the strong appearance of trying to provide assurance that cancelation is as easy as updating other details. If the process had been disclosed up front its unlikely I’d have subscribed at all.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel AdobeAdobe: Unclear yearly subscription terms and cancellation fees“Apparently monthly subscriptions, but you are signed up for a year. Cancelling early results in a 50% of remaining months subscriptions being applied as a cancellation charge.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel healthyorganicshop.comhealthyorganicshop.com: Pressures customers into purchasing products by displaying random amounts of past purchases“Company places random amounts of customers who’ve purchased products in a random past amount of hours to pressure customers into purchasing their products.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line Chicago TribuneChicago Tribune: Difficult to cancel subscription by phone“The Chicago Tribune allows you to establish a subscription online (quite easily) and even manage your subscription address, vacation holds, and report missed papers online. HOWEVER, they do not allow you to cancel your subscription online, this requires a phone call and only when their customer service center is open. They will also try to dissuade you from canceling by not honoring your request (eg. “I’m going to go ahead and leave this active for your convenience and then you can call next month to cancel”) even if trying to prevent rebilling.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Harvard Business ReviewHarvard Business Review: Subscriptions auto-renew with no online cancellation“HBR subscriptions auto-renew and the site does not have a way to cancel the renewal; you have to call customer service.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Bird.coBird.co: Trick language for “day pass”“Misleading language. The bike-share service has a “day pass” when in fact it’s only 90 minutes that you have to use within a 24 hour period.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Trick wording Mags.comMags.com: Made it impossible to cancel subscriptions or stop withdrawals“This company makes it impossible to stop withdrawal from accounts or to cancel subscriptions – the ability to do so via their website is somehow always broken, and when I attempt to contact the phone line hold times are excessive, and I feel guilted by the customer service person into keeping my subscriptiions.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Alaksa AirlinesAlaksa Airlines: Confusing cookie opt-out sliders“The radio buttons on their cookie opt-out are confusing. The sliders are a white button on a blue background. The initial position seems to indicate that the cookies are active – the white dots are slid to the left of the button. Sliding them to the right adds a checkmark to the button, and there is no clear indication whether you have opted out or opted in by the checkmark. Scrolling up, you can see that mandatory cookies are greyed out with a checkmark in the box, indicating that a checkmark indicates an opt-in.”3 Oct 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection, Visual interference AdobeHow Adobe tricks users into a 12 month contract.“The total annual cost was hidden. The 50% cancellation free was hidden. The clickwrap agreement text was much smaller than the sales text (e.g. “£0.00”, “Start free trial”). The cancellation terms were hard to find. Should this be permitted?”19 Sept 2022·Deceptive Design·Hidden subscription UnknownHow many “dark patterns” can you spot in this travel insurance pitch that is now standard when purchasing airline tickets? “A screenshot of an unnamed travel website shows numerous dark patterns in use.”18 Sept 2022·Tim Ranzetta NikeMisleading Nike Ads“Just seen a @Nike ad on Instagram advertising Air Max Plus for £99.95 on the Nike app. Download the app and they’re “Older Kids” shoes - the adult ones are the usual £164.95. Deffo intentionally misleading - they know what they’re doing”15 Sept 2022·Tom Argos“Wow this is really nasty behavour from the #argos website, I bet lots of people click for the cash back without realising how much it will cost them - not just one off but monthly!”“This appears to be Argos partnering with @completesave.”13 Sept 2022·KatePreach Amazon“Feels like Amazon is just trying to make a point out of using dark patterns at this stage.”“For context: following a dialogue with @EU_Commission & national consumer authorities, Amazon agreed to make changes to its Prime cancellation procedure in July 2022”12 Sept 2022·Constanta Rosca TrustArc“Hey @StarbucksUK @TrustArc if you get rid of the unnecessary timeouts there won’t be any need for this processing “status”. This only happens when you customise your privacy settings, can you explain that Funny how some dark patterns are just accepted.”“@Starbucks @TrustArc proof that it doesn’t have to take almost a minute to set client side cookies. In the first run I’ve crippled the timeout, the second run is stock.”11 Sept 2022·Chris Corbett SamsungSamsung employs the trick wording and misdirection to trick users into subscribing to news and offers.“Wow, solid dark pattern here by Samsung: the option on the bottom —reminiscent of a regular “I have read this” prompt— auto-checks the marketing box as well. This is why people don’t trust brands. Don’t do this to your customers the moment they sign up. All potential trust lost.”10 Sept 2022·Arvid Kahl·Trick wording IAB - Interactive Advertising BureauAt least 3/4 of these “Legitimate interest” options are turned on by default and you have to turn them off ONE BY ONE.This appears to be an example of the IAB’s controversial “Transparency and Consent Framework”. 9 Sept 2022·DZ-Aladan·Preselection FigmaFintech startup Quolum helps companies avoid SaaS billing Dark Patterns“We usually expect a $2000 bill per month from Figma, but in July this year, we got a bill for about $20,000 which came to us as a shock…”8 Sept 2022·Quolum TiktokTikTok is testing a feature that involves influencers engaging with a brand seemingly advertising it, but where instead of money, they receive ‘free views’.“Unlike platform ads (contracts between brands-platforms), native ads often have off-platform supply chains. While platforming the latter might be a transparency gain (esp under DSA registration), here TikTok is just playing with performance indicators. The medium is the message”4 Sept 2022·Catalina Goanta·Disguised ads Credit KarmaCredit Karma said users were ‘pre-approved’ for credit cards, feds say they weren’t.“The FTC accused Credit Karma of “deploying dark patterns” to mislead consumers into believing they were pre-approved and had “90% odds” to coax them into applying for credit cards, according to a news release. Nearly a third of users who applied to the “pre-approved” offers were ultimately denied.”2 Sept 2022·Tanasia Kenney Nextdoor_UK This is totally confusing! Which way is correct to unsubscribe? “Nextdoor UK uses trick wording and misdirection, making it difficult for a user to understand how to unsubscribe.”21 Aug 2022·Ed Horsford·Trick wording CurrysUK retailer Currys uses a questionable nudge to encourage users to buy insurance when checking out. ““Continue without care and repair” - Note how you can’t click the big “continue” unless you buy insurance.”20 Aug 2022·Deceptive Design DominosWhat are you playing at signing people up for £15pm subscriptions in this way Dominos? “After a user pays for Dominos Pizza (UK), they are shown a deceptive ad that looks like a “Continue” button when in fact it’s a monthly subscription plan.”19 Aug 2022·David Rogers·Hidden subscription FacebookIn-app browsers (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) found to track everything that users do.“Do not browse the web in in-app browsers (e.g. in apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok). Experience is bad. Those apps also INJECT TRACKING INSTRUCTIONS. They control every interaction, all that is typed, clicked… Browse with normal web browsers.”19 Aug 2022·Lukasz Olejnik New York TimesWhen Tech Companies Do It, The NY Times Calls It ‘Dark Patterns,’; When The NY Times Does It, It’s Called ‘Being Smart’“There’s a spectrum of behavior — some of which is just smart business and tech practices, and some of which is more nefarious. But using the term “dark patterns” to broadly describe anything that we don’t understand, or can’t see that is designed to get you to do something… becomes problematic pretty quickly. ”19 Aug 2022·Techdirt·Sneaking, Obstruction, Preselection, Fake urgency SedoSedo’s deceptive cookie UI involves an “Accept all” button where the user would expect a “Continue” button.“Nice cookie selection dark pattern from Sedo to start the morning.”18 Aug 2022·Harry Bailey TrumpAn opinion poll on Trump’s website contains a deceptive request for a donation, with recurring monthly repayments preselected. “Still raising cash off stealing Top Secret documents.”17 Aug 2022·Ron Filipkowski·Preselection MoonpigMoonpig email hides the unsubscribe link using black text on a black background. “How nice of you to hide the unsubscribe link”17 Aug 2022·Ben·Obstruction DuolingoWhen a user uses duolingo on a series of consecutive days, this is called a streak. If users miss a day, they can pay to ‘repair’ it. “Wow, didn’t know you could pay to continue your broken streak on Duolingo. Not sure how I feel about this.”16 Aug 2022·Paras Chopra AmazonIf Jeff Bezos or Amazon executives like CEO Andy Jassy used vanishing messages to discuss Prime, the FTC wants them handed over as it investigates the company’s sign-up tacticsThe FTC wants Amazon to fork over any disappearing messages that executives used to discuss Prime.The federal agency has been probing Amazon over potentially misleading tactics used to get people to subscribe. Insider reported in March that Amazon execs were worried customers felt tricked into signing up but did nothing. 16 Aug 2022·Insider HP“By cancelling, I acknowledge: HP Instant Ink subscription cartridges will no longer work after my final billing cycle ends, even if they are already installed in my printer.”“Because instant ink bills at the end of each billing cycle, I will receive one final bill for $11.99, plus charges for any additional pages printed. I will lose rollover pages associated with my account.”15 Aug 2022·AssholeDesign·Forced action TreatwellNice dark pattern @treatwellnl! That didn’t work. “Treatwell uses trick questions - alternating sentiment for its checkbox labels - to trick users into agreeing to emails or tracking.”14 Aug 2022·Riccardo Luton airportLuton airport, after prepaying for parking “Luton airport website shows a disguised ad. It appears to be a “continue” button leading on from the checkout, but in fact tricks users into subscribing to a totally unrelated service.”14 Aug 2022·Socially Distant David·Disguised ads SkypeSkype tricks users into uploading their address book - via a dialog box that has no visible option to refuse. “Noticed my Skype client on the iPad started doing this sneaky crap where when you open the app it presents a prompt that asks you to approve sharing all your contacts w/ Skype. And there’s no visible way to say “no.""13 Aug 2022·briankrebs·Sneaking AmazonImagine getting locked out of your smart home thermostat because your credit card expired on an e-commerce store account.“Last month we had debit card fraud, where bank sent us new card. […] Meanwhile, everything Amazon shut down for us. Amazon, Alexa, smart thermometers. Worst of all - the last season of #BetterCallSaul, which I *paid* for.”13 Aug 2022·Phil Hill thefarmersdog‘The Farmers Dog’ requires users to enter many pages of personal data before they can view prices. “this is a gross dark pattern from ⁦@thefarmersdog⁩. you have to affirm the marketing material before you’re allowed to see a price.”6 Aug 2022·Eric Jacobs DuolingoDuolingo’s A/B testing use is causing users to flock to its premium model, now at 3.3 million accounts”‘“We use A/B testing to optimize nearly everything related to our products, from new gamification features, to our learning content, to our Super [Duolingo] purchase page design, and even to the notifications that learners receive as reminders to do their lessons,” said von Ahn’”5 Aug 2022·Pittsburgh Inno·Preselection DoordashAsk HN: What’s up with these DoorDash dark patterns?“you can’t actually drill into and read reviews which makes assessing the actual quality of the restaurant difficult. And I’ve found that restaurants will run their own “ghost kitchen” shadow restaurant out of their main (poorly rated) location.”4 Aug 2022·flycatcha FacebookFacebook’s “mute notifications” UI uses confusing language and provides only provides temporary options (e.g. 15 mins).“fun lil deceptive UI pattern from (apparently desperate) F*cebook this morning: I updated my phone & shortly after got a push notification from FB - I’ve had those turned entirely off for at least 3-4 years! so I go spelunking in the settings…”3 Aug 2022·Cyd Harrell PatreonPatreon uses a deceptive UI in its cookie dialog. “Such unclear langage is probably not GDPR compliant. What is really happening when I click on “Reject All” and then “Accept”? I hope it’s not a dark pattern to force me to “accept” your cookies.”2 Aug 2022·Olivier Simard-Casanova InstagramAfter 30 days, Instagram forces users to see suggested posts, even though they requested for them to be hidden. “AKA ‘We will automatically uncheck your stated preferences and ruin your experience once a month until we wear you down and you stop manually re-checking them.’”2 Aug 2022·Peter V. Brett GumtreeGumtree UK makes it very difficult to opt out of ad tracking.“Gumtree UK provides a “one click” opt-in for ad tracking, yet requires dozens of clicks to opt out.”31 Jul 2022·matt sephton·Preselection GumtreeWTAF. Here’s the list of tracking partners in the Gumtree UK iOS app. “In this example, Gumtree UK makes it very hard for users to opt out of ad tracking.”31 Jul 2022·Matt Sephton·Preselection HPHP at it again: Have to create an account to scan a document.“In this example, HP does not permit consumers to use the scanner they have purchased until they register a mandatory online account with hp.com. This requires them to provide their name, location, email address and phone number.”30 Jul 2022·Deceptive Design·Forced action TrumpTrump email campaigns continue to use a slew of deceptive design techniques.""LAST CHANCE… We won’t email you again.” (I got 10 more messages in the next seven hours.) It says I need to “RENEW” a membership I never had in the first place. Fake urgency of final contact to nudge action.”30 Jul 2022·Augie Ray·Fake urgency BeyondMenuBeyondMenu uses fake reservation confirmation in an email campaign to drive open rates“BeyondMenu used the email subject line “Your Friday reservation is confirmed…” - which was likely to alarm users, none of whom had made a reservation. When opened, the email reads “Your reservation is confirmed with your couch… Order now""30 Jul 2022·Blinkplays HPHP requires users to create an online account in order to use offline features.“HP at it again: Have to create an account to scan a document.”30 Jul 2022·SanktusAngus·Forced action Wish ShoppingThanks to regulatory action by the ACM, Wish.com no longer allows fake discounts or personalised pricing in the Netherlands“Prices on Wish were personalised, based on location and purchase behaviour. The platform failed to inform its customers about this. Following the ACM’s demands the company has decided to end its price personalisation in the EU.”30 Jul 2022·Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM)BeyondMenuHow to make people hate your marketing team, step 1.“BeyondMenu sends a fake reservation confirmation email to consumers, which is likely to alarm them and cause them to open the email, only to find out it’s just another marketing email.”30 Jul 2022·AssholeDesign ExpressoExpresso requires users to enter their name and email address before they can unsubscribe from emails.""boa página para quem clica em “editar subscrição” no fim do vosso email não solicitado porque tem outras newsletters que quer manter, @expresso” (Portuguese language example).”29 Jul 2022·Henrique Vasconcelos Boston GlobeBoston Globe subscriptions cannot be cancelled in the first 24 hours of creating them. “Signed up for the @BostonGlobe to read an article. Article was ‘meh’, so wanted to cancel my sub. Cannot do it online, have to call. The agent tells me: ‘You can’t cancel the first 24 hours because you’ll only show up in the system after…’”28 Jul 2022·Gergely Orosz·Hard to cancel AdobeAdobe interupts users with large pop-up ad they press Save in Adobe illustrator, a product they have already paid for. “It’s easy to dunk on Adobe software quality, I know. But I hit “Save” in Illustrator and got this hilariously huge cloudsell.”27 Jul 2022·Cabel TrumpThe assholedesign subreddit is a treasure trove of items like this.“r/assholedesign - Because nothing comes before profit, especially not the consumer.”26 Jul 2022·AssholeDesign UdemyThis countdown resets every time you access Udemy from a new device or browser.“Udemy employs the ‘fake countdown timer’ dark pattern.”25 Jul 2022·AssholeDesign·Nagging, Fake urgency InstagramInstagram gets worse with dark patterns lifted from TikTok“…the changes seem in line with its intention to move away from its original model of photo sharing among friends, to the one pioneered by TikTok: showing as much algorithmically targeted video content as possible and juicing engagement wherever practical.”25 Jul 2022·Devin Coldewey·Obstruction, Disguised ads AppleThis is the warning Apple shows you if you try to go to Netflix’s website from the app to pay for a subscription.“The wildest part is that this approach by Apple is actually a concession to appease various antitrust investigations around the world. Instead of rejecting Netflix’s app or forcing them to give Apple 30% at least now Apple just scares users. How gracious.”24 Jul 2022·Dare Obasanjo Epson AmericaMy wife’s very expensive EpsonAmerica printer just gave a message saying it had reached the end of its service life and proceeded to brick itself. Apparently she can pay to service it or buy a new one even though it was working fine. Outrageous!“Professor Jonathan Zittrain replies: “A printer self-bricking after awhile is a great example of ‘you think you bought a product, but you really rented a service.’""22 Jul 2022·Mark Tavern T-MobileHow to opt out of T-Mobile’s creepy ad tracking campaign“The program collects information about the apps you have installed on your phone, how often you use them, which Wi-Fi networks you connect to and your web browsing habits and then sells that valuable information to marketers.”19 Jul 2022·Jason Cipriani·Preselection GoogleI’m getting tired of tech companies pushing people to use their products in scummy ways. This should absolutely be considered a dark pattern designed to trick people.“A comment on a pop-up that appears on google.com when using a web browser that is not Google Chrome.”19 Jul 2022·Mike ZoomThis are dirty little shit dark patterns Zoom. Changing CTA colours, position and loops.“Zoom uses obstruction and misdirection in its subscription cancellation journey.”19 Jul 2022·Brokoli.eth·Hard to cancel Google“The Google account sign-up process is plagued with deceptive design & runs contrary to the #GDPR.”“Tech giant Google unfairly steers consumers towards its surveillance system when they sign up to a Google account, instead of giving them privacy by design and by default as required by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).”19 Jul 2022·The Consumer Voice eWebinarTrying to read an article with this countdown clock going in the corner of my screen.“eWebinar uses a fake countdown timer, pressurising users to click through.”17 Jul 2022·Kristina Halvorson·Fake urgency NortonNorton uses the disguised ad dark pattern, portraying an advertisment as a personalised warning of a data breach.“I am really sick of @Norton’s dark patterns — like 1.) blocking the “x” on dialogs, when 2.) the dialog itself is all advertising, not an actual warning.”17 Jul 2022·Andrew gent·Disguised ads YoutubeYouTube: Forced users to agree to a new license agreement“They force users to deceit their new and unacceptable license agreement, and consider keeping using their services (staying vague in what exactly describe “using their services”) imply agreeing to said licence update. I can’t find the time to save the content I own that is hosted on YouTube to delete it, I have no guarantee they won’t keep a copy and no way of checking, I have no way to just disagreeing to this new license.”27 Jun 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line ZoomZoom: Misleading refund instructions“When I canceled, and then requested a refund, I was told to follow instructions (reactivate, click click click click etc.) to get a refund. The instructions are misleading and did not work. Here’s the entire thread in a screenshot: https://www.fficient.com/screenshots/screenshot34620220413.png – also attached. I still don’t have a refund, but I pointed out to them the darkness of their alleged refund process. Hoping they clean things up. But they likely won’t without pressure.”27 Jun 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line SiriusXMSiriusXM: Must talk to live agent to cancel account, endure sales tactics and long holds.“You MUST talk to a live agent to cancel your account. Once you are connected with a live agent, they ask you many times about why you want to cancel and they try to sell another promotional rate. They put you on hold for a long time. I have had three different subscriptions over the course of several years and it’s ALWAYS the same tactic.”22 May 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel The EconomistThe Economist: Difficult cancellation process“The cancellation flow is the worst I’ve seen from a large international company. They require you to click through 3-4 screens that attempt to communicate the “value” of the product (pretty standard). As you progress through the cancellation workflow, the button for continuing with cancellation is deemphasized, while a button that takes you out of the cancellation workflow is featured very prominently. This was frustrating, but unfortunately, is all too common these days. Once you get through this workflow, you reach a page that requires you to call a number or live chat someone between 8am and 6pm EST to complete the cancellation. Because I tried to cancel on a Sunday, I had to go through the process again on a Monday morning. When I got in contact with a customer support rep through the live chat, I expected to be able to cancel with a simple, “I would like to cancel.” In response to this, they took 3 minutes to reply, and then asked if I really wanted to cancel, because I may get value out of other parts of the product. This sort of “value reminder” response happened three times before I was finally able to cancel. In total, I had to have a 10+ minute conversation with the customer support rep before they canceled my subscription.”22 May 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Indianapolis StarIndianapolis Star: Difficult to cancel subscription“This company allows you to subscribe online, but to cancel you must call during business hours.”22 May 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel The New York TimesThe New York Times: Forced to cancel through call or chat bot“In order to cancel my subscription, I had to either call them or interact with their chat bot.”21 May 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel TwitterTwitter: Difficult to exit personalized ads“Sometimes, while using the Twitter android app, you’ll randomly be asked to opt in for personalized ads without a clear button to deny them and no way to exit out of the prompt (not even by the system’s back button!) until you drag the prompt up, uncovering a small “Keep less relevant ads” text button. Video of it in action: https://twitter.com/BoredmanDA/status/1326907483848396802”16 May 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal: Difficult to cancel online subscription renewal“I signed up online for short-term, low-priced subscription, but automatic subscription renewal cannot be cancelled online. You have to phone in the cancel, wait for a long time on hold (25 minutes into the call for me before anyone answered) and resist repeated and varied upselling tactics.”4 May 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel H&R BlockH&R Block: Misleading Free File tax option“I thought I had been directed to the Free File tax option for their website. I went through the entire process of filling out information for my federal return only to be told that I would have to ‘upgrade’ to their deluxe option at a cost of $55 in order to also add a form that is necessary to submit in order to reconcile my premium tax credit received for my health insurance premiums. I was unable to continue with my filing without paying and was left to start over on a separate Free File website that allowed me to fill out and submit the additional form at no charge.”20 Apr 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line National GeographicNational Geographic: Requires email to read articles, signing up for spam“To read an online article without a subscription, a pop-up requires you to submit an email address. But the user is also signing up for spam from National Geographic AND its parent, Disney, as well as agreeing to the terms of service and privacy policy. There is no separate mechanism for just reading the article or agreeing to those terms.”20 Apr 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line DecathalonDecathlon won’t let me continue the signup flow without consenting to receiving marketing emails… When the user tries to sign up for a Decathalon account, the “Confirm and continue” button is disabled until the user consents to marketing emails16 Apr 2022·Liz Hixon·Sneaking dailylifeesdailylifees: Advertised product was not received“I was playing a Facebook game and an ad popped up. I ordered the beautiful rattan sofa bed for my porch, on clearance for $19.99 with expedited shipping for $30 more. What I received was an ugly scratchy pillowcase that wasn’t even listed and the package was not expedited.”11 Apr 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line Ancestry.comAncestry.com: Difficult subscription cancellation and misleading free trial“It is difficult to cancel your subscription as you have to call a phone number to cancel. Furthermore, in order to participate in a free trial, you must subscribe to a paid subscription. Finally, while it says 14-day free trial, they will charge you through auto-renew if you don’t call two days before making the trial a 12-day trial instead of a 14-day one.”8 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Bed Bath and BeyondBed Bath and Beyond: Difficulty canceling subscription and unresponsive customer support“Signing up for their membership program was easy. But I was just charged for a second completely unused year after working hard to cancel the subscription a year ago. You also can’t reach anyone for customer support. By the way when you go to unsubscribe the button is greyed out and inactivated.”8 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel AdobeAdobe: Pre-checked boxes to install unrelated antivirus“When downloading the free version of Adobe Reader, it always pre-checks the boxes to install McAfee antivirus at the same time. They aren’t related products! To install antivirus on someone’s system without authorization is unethical and unacceptable.”8 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection Blue ApronBlue Apron: Difficult to cancel subscription via account services and temporary pause options“Blue Apron intentionally makes any attempts to pause their subscription service apparently temporary, while also forcing the user to email their team in order to cancel a membership, not offering any clear way to cancel their membership via account services in their webpage.”8 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Care2Care2: Requires action to opt out of mailing lists when confirming signature“Second page when you sign a petition asks you to “confirm” your signature; if you do not actively *uncheck* an already-checked box, you have just added yourself to one or a bunch of mailing lists. So, the pre-check masquerades as an opt-in, but effectively you need to take an action to opt out.”8 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection ActBlueActBlue: Donated to one candidate, now on dozens of mailing lists“I donated to one candidate once. Now, I’m on dozens of candidates’ mailing lists and have to unsubscribe from each of them individually.”8 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line Care.comCare.com: Requires subscription to view job applications“I posted an ad on the website looking for a housekeeper. They send you an email saying someone has applied to your job but the only way you can view the application is if you sign up for a monthly subscription”8 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hidden subscription AeromexicoAeromexico: Tricked into upgrading from basic fare“When selecting the lowest fare for any flight and clicking “continue”, a pop-up shows up telling that “You selected selected our most limited fare” and “recommends” to upgrade. The options given are “Change my fare” in a huge red button on the right corner (how and where normally continue buttons are in the site), and “I accept the restrictions on the Basic Fare” in a small text link on the left corner. This is not only tricky but also makes you feel a little shame and discomfort.”8 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line MyFellowAmericanPoll.comMyFellowAmericanPoll.com: Unable to unsubscribe from emails“My father’s email account gets emails from this site often – filling his inbox with unwanted junk. At one point in the past, he may have subscribed. Now, he can not unsubscribe. The link to “Unsubscribe” on the bottom of the email leads to a non-existent page.”4 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line Transunion Credit Reference Agency (UK)Transunion Credit Reference Agency (UK): Cookie settings have a misleading ‘Accept all cookies’ button“Cookie settings page has selection sliders for non-essential cookies, on or off, but the only button available to choose cookie settings is ‘Accept all cookies’”4 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line LiveauctioneersLiveauctioneers: No option to finalize cookie selection; window blocked without accepting“In their cookie declaration there is no option to finalize your selection. Cookie window also significantly blocks window unless you select “Accept”.”4 Mar 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line ADTADT: Forces calls to cancel subscriptions and upselling“Does not allow you to cancel your subscription online and makes vague references to safety and security of your home in order to make sure you have to interact with a sales representative who will pressure you into keeping your subscription. You have to call to cancel the subscription.”26 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel Ashley FurnitureAshley Furniture: Automatically added delivery, assembly, and protection plan to cart“When adding a set of patio furniture to the cart it automatically chooses the delivery and assembly option and they also automatically apply a 5 year protection plan which adds on additional unseen costs onto the original price.”26 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Sneaking EverlaneEverlane: Defaults to store credit for returns“Upon returning clothing from Everlane, the return receipt first instructed me to click ‘Add my Return Credit’ below to activate my Return Credit for use on Everlane.com so I would use the money to shop their site instead of getting a refund to my credit card. Way at the bottom of the email, they offer a refund to the original payment method as a last choice.”25 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line Crypto.comCrypto.com: Referral program requires personal data for inaccessible money“My wife sent me a referral email for Crypto.com which is a cryptocurrency trading platform and cryptocurrency wallet. The invitation code indicates that when you “refer a friend now and you both get $25, with each successful sign-up and a valid transaction.” So, I signed up, gave them my personal information (including a photo of myself and my driver’s license as part of their verification system) and found out that many hoops have to be jumped through in order to get the $25 reward.”25 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Obstruction WishWish: Misleading advertised prices with high shipping costs“They advertise merchandise at really low prices. However, when you put the merchandise in your cart, that is not the price at all and the shipping costs/extraneous fees are very high.”25 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hidden Costs ThredUpThredUp: Created urgency with a countdown clock“The company runs promotions often, and one I encountered recently was particularly frustrating: there was a super weekend sale, but any items you added to your shopping cart would only be on reserve for 1 hour. Several manipulative tactics were at play here: you end up spending more time on the platform searching for more great deals; you rush to add more items to your shopping cart before they get snatched up; you get notifications that your shopping cart is about to expire and if it does, you have to go back and re-add your item(s); eventually, you will probably just go ahead and purchase one item at a time – after all, you have the option to ‘bundle’ your purchases and get free shipping if you spend over $79; if you do get suckered to making piecemeal purchases, the enticing free shipping that’s just a couple items away makes you look for even more items to purchase; did I mention the 1-hour timer that gives you that black-friday-rush-into-the-store-to-score-that-one-tv-on-super-sale feeling? Awful.”22 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line Pottery BarnPottery Barn: Forced to subscribe to marketing emails at checkout“I bought a new bed from Pottery Barn and I bought it as a “guest”, so I didn’t sign up for marketing emails. The thing was, that there wasn’t even a way to not sign up for said emails at checkout. The only way to get rid of them was to unsubscribe from the emails after I received them.”11 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection, Forced action airbnbAirbnb: Inflated prices by added fees“Initial prices shown on the map are markedly inflated by added fees when one is ready to book the lodging. They should show the total price including fees on their map listings.”11 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line ProtonVPNProtonVPN: Canceled subscription given as credits“This is an Email and VPN provider; If you cancel your subscription it will be canceled with immediate effect, and the remainder of the month will be given back to you as “credits”, which you’re supposed to spend on some of their services at some point.”11 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel KQEDKQED: Difficult to cancel recurring donations“It is hard to stop the donation. There’s no online option to cancel recurring donations. You have to call them during work hours.”8 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel 1-800-Flowers1-800-Flowers: Difficult to cancel shipping fee online, requires long phone call“Difficult to cancel the annual fee for free shipping (the “passport”) which I thought I had canceled but that I’ve paid unwittingly for the last two years without catching it. It cannot be done online at the 1800Flowers website. A call to customer service involves many repeated questions, long holds, and a sales attempt, i.e. 43 minutes to get them to agree that the annual charge was canceled and won’t be repeated.”8 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel KeepsKeeps: Difficulty cancelling subscription“I tried to stop my subscription, and found it was impossible to do so from the website. They require you to put a hold on your plan or call in customer service; there’s no way to stop the plan without calling them in. After I initially emailed them, it took several strongly worded emails before they finally put my plan on hold. Their emails kept referring me back to the website, where, again it was impossible to do anything.”7 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel EvensEvens: Limited cancellation options requiring email or call“Once you subscribe (which you can do online) to one of their plans, you cannot then cancel the plan or edit it in any way online. Instead, they make you email or call in and their hours are very very limited.”4 Feb 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel GoogleGoogle Maps now requires WiFi scanning to use navigation“Google has now drawn a line in the sand. Give us all your local SSIDs, local bluetooth connections, with likely even more detail, or they now refuse to allow you to use Maps to navigate.”1 Feb 2022 AmazonThe Psychology Behind Amazon’s Purchase Experience“A critical analysis of Amazon’s purchasing user journey (spoiler: contains dark patterns!)”31 Jan 2022·Benoni & Lavallee MWMMWM: Game requires subscription or free trial before playing“This game is available on the iOS App Store for free but cannot be played without signing up for a subscription or free trial. You do not even get to play the game to decide if you want to subscribe before being forced to subscribe.”30 Jan 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Forced action, Hidden subscription America's Test KitchenAmerica’s Test Kitchen: Difficult to cancel free trial/subscription“Their website offers free 14 day free trials that require you to enter your credit card information and promise that you can cancel at any time. Once you are signed up however you are unable to remove your credit card information and have to call a hotline in order to cancel. This hotline has long wait times and repeatedly drops your call. This is the only way to cancel.”30 Jan 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel FableticsFabletics: Promotions lead to monthly VIP membership“They often have promotions (2 pants for $24 or 70% off), but when you click, you sign up for VIP membership that has a monthly fee.”28 Jan 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line WiredWired: Unclear ‘Do Not Sell My Personal Information’ toggle“The “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link from the bottom of the homepage leads to a window where the default state is to “Sell My Personal Information On This Site Using Cookies.” However, the toggle button is unclear – because it is not labelled, it is not immediately obvious whether it is in the “on” or “off” state. Plus, even after toggling the button, you have to remember to click the “Confirm My Choices” button or changes to the setting will not be saved. Note that this link is for California residents only per the 2020 CCPA legislation.”28 Jan 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line SiriusXMSirius XM: Requires phone call to cancel service“Every account function but service cancellation is available online. To cancel you must make a phone call.”26 Jan 2022·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel RedditReddit manipulates users into installing mobile app“Reddit is famous for their relentless interruptions to their web experience in pushing users towards their native mobile app. Here they experiment with a “cheeky” nudge about cats and dogs.”18 Jan 2022·Szprinktrap SteinbergSteinberg requires users to subscribe to a newsletter before using one of their products“This modal dialog box requires users to subscribe to a mandatory newsletter.”17 Jan 2022·agirres FacebookFacebook makes it tricky to decline an invitation“The user needs to click a small button labelled ”…” then select “Decline”, then ignore the main button (despite it being the thing they requested) and select the less obvious secondary button labelled “Confirm”.”16 Jan 2022·Zach Collier VenmoVenmo’s payment protection feature allows the buyer to add a fee that the sender pays - without their consent“Venmo has a feature where the person that you’ve requested payment from can opt into payment protection, which adds a 1.9% fee to the transaction that the requestor pays without any sort of consent or control if opted into. It’s a dark pattern that I can’t believe is legal.”10 Jan 2022·witchoria NortonNorton and Avast install crytpominer software without user consent“Norton360 isn’t the only antivirus product installing cryptominers. Avira, a “free” antivirus product w/ > 500M users, recently introduced users to Avira Crypto. Avira is now owned by NortonLifeLock, which also just bought Avast antivirus (500M users)”8 Jan 2022·Brian Krebs New York TimesNYT subscription takes much longer to cancel than to create. “Cancelling this New York Times subscription took about 8 minutes. Most of the time was just waiting for the CS rep to respond in live chat.”7 Jan 2022·Darkpatterns.org·Hard to cancel BarclaysBarclays bank “Tick the box if you don’t want us to tell you about offers…”“Now I know why I’m getting marketing material posted to me when I thought I’d turned this off”6 Jan 2022·kimeshan_FacebookIn order to refuse cookies, Facebook makes users click a button titled “Accept Cookies”. You have to laugh“In order to refuse the deposit of cookies,m internet users must click on a button entitled “Accept cookies”, displayed in the second window.”6 Jan 2022·Mark Di Stefano·Forced action TwitterTwitter’s “Install App” modal dialogue prompt on top of all the content is a form of user abuse“The company should know by now, based on the dozens of previous rejections: I’m not interested!”1 Jan 2022·Metadat·Preselection, Forced action AmazonWhy is it so easy to rack up huge bills from AWS without intending?“Are they purposefully neglecting to create cost control, projection and notification features?”14 Dec 2021·darkpatterns.org VerizonVerizon’s tracking feature is opt out, so customers will be tracked without their knowledge. “This is a #privacy nightmare and an utter disgrace. @Verizon you are a pipe to the internet and that is all. I am appalled you would think you have the right to track and monetize my activity.”14 Dec 2021·Burley·Preselection EbayEbay’s mandatory marketing emails “If you register with http://ebay.co.uk using the “sign in with google” feature, you get automatically opted in to marketing emails.”13 Dec 2021·Ebay·Preselection MuseScoreMuseScore’s deceptive design“…the free trial is deliberately hard to cancel — it’s easy to get into the free trial, but it’s hard to get out.”9 Nov 2021·Deceptive Patterns·Hard to cancel, Hidden subscription IntersportIntersport.de uses fake “X visitors are looking at this product right now” component.“On the intersport.de website, a random number generator was used to fake live consumer interest on product listing pages”4 Jul 2021·darkpatterns TrustArcDocker Hub has a delay when users opt out of tracking, and no delay when users opt.“ummmm @Docker Hub cookies preferences take 20 seconds to be processed.. is this a @TrustArc technical challenge or a dark pattern? #darkpatterns”1 Jul 2021·BogdanCovrig·Preselection Pitchbook.comPitchbook.com provides users no way to opt out of cookies.“Despite this being a legal requirement in various legal jurisdictions, pitchbook.com forces users to “consent” to cookies if they wish to enter the website.”1 Jul 2021·ThatDesignFeel·Preselection RobinhoodRobinhood to pay $70 million fine after causing ‘widespread and significant harm’ to customers.“customers received false or misleading information from Robinhood on a variety of issues, including how much money customers had in their accounts, whether they could place trades on margin and more.”30 Jun 2021·Alicia Adamczyk AkismetAkismet uses a random number generator to show a fake live counter on their home page.“A random number is added to the true count of “spam comments blocked to date” to simulate a live counter”30 Jun 2021·OnarAlili LinkedinLinkedin limits user choice to drive engagement.“Linkedin asks the user a yes/no question but instead of allowing the user to answer “no”, the button reads “No, show me more""28 Jun 2021·SimonGabriel The New YorkerThe New Yorker sends a fake “final demand” letter to trick users into resubscribing.“The letter reads “statement of account” “FINAL NOTICE” except it’s just an invitation to renew a subscription that would otherwise expire.”28 Jun 2021·joelanman RedditEx-reddit engineering manager admits to the dark patterns they built while working there.““Yes, power users complain—and still continue using the site—but the casual user does not. These dark patterns have been normalized on other websites. These practices are done because it works””26 Jun 2021·Wting·Nagging SurveyMonkeySurveyMonkey: Forced to pay to see responses, not communicated upfront“SurveyMonkey forces you to pay to see your responses. This is not communicated upfront on trial and this has been reported by many users on Twitter.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Forced action VenmoVenmo: Automatically opts you in to receive “prescreened” credit card offers“Automatically opts you in to receive “prescreened” credit card offers, and makes it very difficult to opt out.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection AmazonAmazon: Tried to convince me not to cancel subscription“When I try to Amazon Subscription delivery it shows this prompt trying to convince me otherwise by first giving other choices like to delay delivery, then by asking why I want to cancel it and only then the actual button to cancel.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel DiscordDiscord: Added an ecommerce button in a location that users may unintentionally click“This dark pattern takes the form of a “gift” button, conveniently placed right by the message text bar in which one types messages on the mobile app. Hitting this button inadvertently will take you to a page on which you can purchase a Nitro subscription to gift to someone in the channel. The button is located right where the “gif” button used to be, and many people have reported issues with its placement — yet the company has done nothing. I’m sure they’ve made money off of this inconvenience.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line ShutterflyShutterfly: Confusing opt-out language“A link to unsubscribe from reviewing a purchased Shutterfly product goes to https://preferences.powerreviews.com where your choices for two separate opt-out choices are “yes” and “no” with labels that contradict each other e.g. “Receive request emails to write reviews after you make purchases on this site.” and “unsubscribe.” This is clearly intentional obfuscation.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Obstruction, Preselection Nexgen Global LLCNexgen Global LLC: Bombarded with impulse offers and hidden shipping fees“When walking through the checkout workflow near the end you are bombarded with multiple offers for other products(kind of like the impulse buy before checkout in a physical store). When adding the impulse to your cart you are taken directly to the finalized sale and not to your cart for verification of quantity. In my case I wanted to try an additional product but had a quantity of 3 added and charged to my credit card. The other dark pattern is that they say you get free shipping in the emails and on the page but then you learn that to get said shipping you have to sign up and pay for VIP to get free shipping.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line Bissell.comBissell.com: Confusing unsubscribe toggles“Ordering from their site or registering for a warranty signs you for a slew of emails. Their unsubscribe form says “Receive request emails to write reviews after you make purchases from this site” with a Yes/No option, but the trick thing is “unsubscribe” is just above the Yes/No option in much smaller font. So it’s likely you’ll answer “No” to the statement, but you’re really saying “No” to unsubscribing.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line Sky / Comcast NBCUniversalSky / Comcast NBCUniversal: Confusing cookie opt-out options“When opting in/out of cookies/ personalised advertising, the built in dialogue box disguises many choices as ‘legitimite interest’ – after hiding the cookie options behind a misleading dialogue box with only an ‘options’ button – no intuative way for inexperienced people to disable cookies.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection Delta AirlinesDelta Airlines: Misleading flight option presentation“When selecting a Basic Economy flight, Delta (unnecessarily) asks you to “Review Your Choice.” However, the confirmation of the choice is very misleading. The upgrade option, “Main Cabin,” does not have an upgrade-sounding name. Furthermore, it is presented as the default option alongside a big red button. Conversely, the option to maintain Basic Economy is confusingly presented as “Accept Restrictions,” and appears underneath in much smaller letters next to a checkbox. The words “Continue with Basic Economy,” which is ostensibly intended to clarify what “Accept Restrictions” means, appear next to “Accept Restrictions” in a light-gray text (lighter than “Accept Restrictions”) that is difficult to notice. In the past, because of the presentation, I have accidentally upgraded to Main Cabin when I intended to remain in Basic Economy.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line Scientific AmericanScientific American: no clear route to opt out of ad tracking“When a subscriber to the magazine logs in, the opening page is overlaid with a “COOKIES” notice which requires approval before content is displayed. In this notice, if one reads far enough, it is disclosed that your browsing and other information is conveyed (sold) to others who may be interested in marketing to the viewer. There is no simple right of refusal to this. One can only abandon the session.”2 Jun 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection PeopleFunPeopleFun: Game forces user to allow personalized advertising to continue playing.“When playing Wordscapes, the online game forces the user to click “allow” to permit personalized advertising in order to continue playing the game. This dark pattern was originally posted on Reddit in May 2021.”10 May 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line NordVPN.comNordVPN.com: Automatically added service to shopping cart“The app automatically puts their recommended service into the shopping cart without the buyer’s consent, thereby adding an unknown cost. The dark pattern was captured directly from NordVPN.com’s shopping checkout page on May 5, 2021.”5 May 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Sneaking Weather NetworkWeather Network: Persuaded to allow tracking to “save lives”“The Weather Network app asks for permission to “track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites” but uses the rationale that the app “helps saves lives” to persuade the user to not block tracking. This dark pattern was publicly posted via Twitter .”2 May 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line Microsoft EdgeMicrosoft Edge: Nudged to use browser with highlighted button“Upon setting up a new PC, this popup asks if I would like to browse the web using Microsoft Edge. The “Get Started” button is highlighted in blue while the “Maybe later” option is grayed out, nudging me to use the platform with colors.”26 Apr 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Visual interference McAfeeMcAfee: Confirmshaming employed to pressure users into buying “Upon setting up a new computer, this advertisement popped up showing a service to protect against dangerous hackers, viruses and more. “Get protection” was highlighted an emphasized as the primary button option. Very small, linked underneath read “Accept risk,” which shamed me to continue without buying their service.”21 Apr 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Confirmshaming BusuuBusuu: Captcha on unsubscribe page“This company put a captcha on their unsubscribe page, increasing the amount of work a person must do before they unsubscribe. This dark pattern was posted publicly on Twitter by @Diwann.”19 Apr 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line New York TimesThe New York Times: Forces users to chat or call to cancel subscriptions“Instead of providing a direct button to cancel your subscription, a person must chat with a customer care advocate or call the company within certain business hours to cancel. This dark pattern was publicly shared on Twitter by @melanie_seibert .”13 Apr 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Hard to cancel MichaelsMichaels: Unclear cookie toggle“This company mentions the shopper has a right to opt out of cookies. The toggle ON by default is not clear whether the person has decided to opt in or opt out of these cookies that collect information. This screenshot was shared publicly on Twitter by @arensb in March 2021.”25 Mar 2021·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection UnknownUnknown: Confirmshaming.“No, I don’t like savings”14 Mar 2021·Steve_Bromley·Confirmshaming FastChecking in on Fast.“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…”12 Mar 2021·Chris Frantz MicrosoftWindows: Edge promotion.“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.”11 Mar 2021·cramforce HumbleHumble: placement of ‘Add to Cart’ button.“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.”11 Mar 2021·Metallion98·Hidden subscription FigmaFigma: Hidden fees & pricing model.“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?”9 Mar 2021·greg00r·Hidden Costs UnknownUnknown: cancelling subscription.“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”.”9 Mar 2021·Noste·Hard to cancel T-MobileT-Mobile will sell your web-usage data to advertisers unless you opt out.“Data sales begin April 26 unless you opt out; T-Mobile claims it’ll be anonymous.”9 Mar 2021·Jon Brodkin·Preselection TalkspaceTalkspace, Headspace and Betterhelp: “data brokers”.“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.”9 Mar 2021·nandoodles JumboJumbo app: hidden skip button.“Look at this dark pattern bullshit. Finding the skip button isn’t supposed to be a game.”8 Mar 2021·dankim ConfluentConfluent: Free credits.“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.”7 Mar 2021·bartekci UnknownUnknown: preferences opt-out.“Over 680 trackers and options for one webpage. “Accept all” or open each single item from a dropdown to opt-out. This is insane.”5 Mar 2021·lowresolution·Preselection LinkedinLinkedIn: accessing messages.“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!”4 Mar 2021·lil_dill XiaomiXiaomi phones: Data collection.“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.”3 Mar 2021·InvisibleBryan AsanaAsana: Per-seat pricing.“Is there any other well known SaaS company besides @asana that charges per-seat pricing but uses this dark pattern”2 Mar 2021·JeremyWeir ZipcarZipcar: subscription plans.“What’s the difference between Zipcar’s $7, $8, and $10 plans?”2 Mar 2021·darkpatterns New York TimesNew York Times: cancel subscription.“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”1 Mar 2021·martylafl·Hard to cancel SamsungSamsung: Marketing information settings.“Samsung’s stock health app now showing ads on a friend’s Samsung S9 phone, which he bought for hundreds of €.”1 Mar 2021·WolfieChristl AmazonEPIC Files D.C. Consumer Protection Complaint Against Amazon Over Unfair and Deceptive User InterfaceEPIC 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.28 Feb 2021 UnknownUnknown: cookie permissions menu.“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?”26 Feb 2021·KimZetter QuartzQuartz: subscription details.“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”25 Feb 2021·juliacarriew ClubhouseCan Clubhouse Move Fast Without Breaking Things?The 11-month old audio social network is compelling. It also has some very grown-up problems.25 Feb 2021·Kevin Roose Top CoatTop Coat: Pressured selling.“Pressured Selling on http://topcoat.store. On adding a product to cart, a popup appears asking the user to upgrade their purchase.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind RadioshackRadioshack: confirmshaming.“Confirmshaming on http://radioshack.com. The option to dismiss the popup is framed to shame the user into avoiding it.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Confirmshaming Justfab.comJustfab.com: Countdown timer.“Countdown Timer on http://justfab.com. In this instance, the stated offer is valid even after the hour long timer expires.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Fake urgency WSJwineWSJwine: Hidden Subscription.“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.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Hidden subscription Leesa.comLeesa.com: Countdown Timer.“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.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Fake urgency New BalanceNew Balance: opt-out option.“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.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Preselection SpanxSpanx: Testimonials.“Testimonials on http://spanx.com. The website does not disclose how these were sourced, or whether they were submitted by actual customers.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind Greenfingers.comGreenfingers: opt-out option.“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.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Preselection, Visual interference 6pm.com6pm.com: Low-stock message.“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.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Fake scarcity SamsungSamsung.com: Limited Time.“Limited Time on http://samsung.com. The website states that the deal is “Limited Time Only” without disclosing the deal’s deadline.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Fake urgency Thredup.comThredup.com: Activity Notification.“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.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind Ross-simons.comRoss-simons.com: VIP Rewards Club.“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.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Hidden subscription JC PenneyJC Penney: Activity Notification.“Activity Notification on http://jcpenney.com highlighting the number of people who viewed the product in the last day.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind Orthofeet.comOrthofeet.com: Low stock message.“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.”21 Feb 2021·Mathur, Arunesh; Acar, Gunes; Friedman, Michael J.; Lucherini, Elena; Mayer, Jonathan; Chetty, Marshini; Narayanan, Arvind·Fake scarcity ClubhouseWhen FOMO Trumps Privacy: The Clubhouse EditionClubhouse, 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.19 Feb 2021·Lourdes Turrecha RobinhoodGameStop Hearing Exposes a Sick Business Model Destined to Exacerbate Wealth Inequality in AmericaAn 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.”19 Feb 2021·Pam Martens and Russ Martens New York TimesBefore buying a NYT subscription, here’s what it’ll take to cancel it .Transcript of a 17 minute chat log of a consumer trying to cancel their New York Times subscription.18 Feb 2021·jandll·Hard to cancel FableticsFake countdown timer on Fabletics.com.“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.”18 Feb 2021·constanta_rosca·Nagging, Fake urgency MicrosoftMicrosoft interrupts users during Windows boot sequence to nudge them to switch to Microsoft Edge web browser. 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. 15 Feb 2021·KimbleyIT EADoes ticking the boxes enable or disable data sharing and targeted ads?“The meaning of a “tick” is not described (does it mean opt in, or opt out?). This ambiguity will drive higher opt-in rates.”2 Feb 2021·airavn·Preselection TiktokCONFUSING BY DESIGN: A Data Protection Law Analysis of TikTok’s Privacy PolicyThis report argues that TikTok does not comply with the GDPR in a number of ways. 1 Feb 2021·Dr. J. Ausloos & Dr. V. Verdoodt GrazeGraze UK food brand uses extremely low contrast text to show calorie information.“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.”28 Jan 2021·darkpatterns·Visual interference TrelloTrello hides the link to sign up without a premium subscription .“…this one nearly got me. @trello really wants you to use their free trial… the start without is juuust below your view.”27 Jan 2021·ohhellohellohii·Hidden subscription GoogleYoutube uses a hidden opt-out button in a full-screen premium upsell.""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”20 Jan 2021·Bigolslabomeat·Preselection Internations.orgInternations.org uses Roach Motel and Forced Continuity Dark Patterns.“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.”17 Jan 2021·KristinaVonK·Hard to cancel, Hidden subscription AmazonThe Norwegian Consumer Council files a legal complaint against Amazon for breaches of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, regarding the the cancellation process for Amazon Prime.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.14 Jan 2021·Finn Myrstad & Øyvind H. Kaldestad·Hard to cancel The TelegraphThe Telegraph uses the term “Legitimate Interest” in which to hide the means to opt out of personalised ads and ad tracking. “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? 🤔”30 Dec 2020·PtitBen·Preselection BaremetricsBaremetrics make it very hard to cancel premium subscriptions.""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.”22 Dec 2020·cmdkhalilov·Hard to cancel OddballsOddballs: Promoting non-existent discount.“Maybe don’t say there’s a chance to get a 25% discount when its literally impossible”7 Dec 2020·Mr__Nitrogen myoddballs.comA fake “wheel of fortune” game of chance that is impossible to win on myoddballs.com“@myoddballs Maybe don’t say there’s a chance to get a 25% discount when its literally impossible”7 Dec 2020·Mr__Nitrogen IkeaIkea’s cookie agree button pops up right on top of the “go” button right before you click it.“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.”30 Nov 2020·shadic108 Peacock TVPeacock TV: Unsubscribe.“When you try to find the unsubscribe button from peacock emails. Dark gray on a dark black background.”22 Nov 2020·gtfohbitchass InstagramHow Facebook decided to capitalise on your muscle memory .“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.”20 Nov 2020·kwiecinski_one Sanity & SelfSanity & Self: Private Account OFF by default“A mental health app company chose to select “Private Account” OFF by default, as opposed to turning it on. The screenshot was taken from the Sanity & Self iOS app directly in November 2020.”19 Nov 2020·Dark Patterns Tip Line InstagramIs the New Instagram Update a New Form of Dark Pattern?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.19 Nov 2020·Mariana V TrumpDark patterns in US election websites“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?”29 Oct 2020·Unusable podcast Booking.comBooking.com pretends that it has a working button for delete account.“The account deletion process requires the user to check their email. This makes the process unnecessarily difficult.”26 Oct 2020·Joliejule TrumpAll the President’s Spam“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.”22 Oct 2020·Stephen Hutcheon, Inga Ting and Katia Shatoba BeektingBeekting: guidance for creating Dark Patterns.“Beekting.com provides customers with instructions on how to create fake notifications that play on cognitive biases.”20 Oct 2020·harrybr BelvitaBelvita Breakfast Golden Oats packaging shows misleading information about calories.“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.”10 Oct 2020·elocemearg TrumpTrump’s campaign lures donors with absurd financial promises — and insults“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.”9 Oct 2020·Ben Adler TeslaTesla: Butt-dialed upgrades.“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.”7 Oct 2020·Lora Kolodny·Fake urgency Psychology TodayPsychology Today: Unsubscribe.“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.”7 Oct 2020·bzipitidoo·Hard to cancel FT.comFT.com: Cancelling subscription.“FT.com, making it very easy to sign up for a monthly charge of 28 € instead of cancelling subscription which was my intended purpose.”5 Oct 2020·buheeh·Hard to cancel Spectrum CableSpectrum cable: Support chat.“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.”29 Sept 2020·adhd CarfaxCarfax: Defaults to opt-in for email lists and makes opt-out inconspicuous“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.”28 Sept 2020·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Preselection wwe.comWhen you opt out of cookies in wwe.com, it shows a processing screen which takes about a minute to complete. If you click ‘accept’, it is processed instantly .“This website uses a privacy management tool called TrustArc which makes it much slower to opt out of tracking than to opt in.”21 Sept 2020·Glassput·Preselection AppleApple OS 16: tracking settings.“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.”17 Sept 2020·airavn GrubhubGrubhub: Hides costs associated with purchases“A company hides and does not clearly explain all the costs associated with the purchase. This may cause the user to feel a loss of control in being able to make an informed decision. The screenshot was taken directly from the Grubhub iOS app in September 2020.”15 Sept 2020·Dark Patterns Tip Line StravaStrava: Flyby privacy settings.“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.”14 Sept 2020·MrAndrew TrumpHow campaigns use manipulative tricks to convince you to open their emails“A new study out of Princeton shows that the vast majority of campaigns use dark patterns and clickbait subject lines to beg for donations.”10 Sept 2020·Mark Sullivan ABCMouseABC Mouse: charging and renewing memberships without consent.“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”2 Sept 2020·Sneaking, Obstruction, Hidden subscription ABCMouseStatement of Commissioner Rohit Chopra Regarding Dark Patterns in the Matter of Age of Learning, Inc. Commission File Number 1723186“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.”2 Sept 2020·Rohit Chopra·Hard to cancel, Fake urgency HBLHBL: App issuing unwanted bank loans.“A loan popup screen appears when a user logs in to Pakistani bank HBL’s app. It features a picture, some text and Yes/No buttons to begin evaluation of your loan, all in English. This could lead to users who did not want a loan getting one and paying it back with 25-35% interest.”1 Sept 2020·thoraoffbeat ABCMouseABCMouse: Failed to disclose membership renewal charges“An online children’s education company failed to disclose important information to consumers, “leading many consumers to be renewed and charged for memberships without their consent,” according to the FTC . The ABCMouse investigation was led by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in September 2020.”1 Sept 2020·Dark Patterns Tip Line StoriesOnBoardStoriesOnBoard: subscription cancellations.“StoriesOnBoard does not allow users to cancel their subscription without sending an email or starting a support chat.”27 Aug 2020·afuerstenau·Hard to cancel WiredWired: consent management platform.“Wired’s consent management platform shows unselected settings as having ‘Objection applied’. A box to opt-in is labelled ‘Remove objection’. Using the word ‘objection’ implies shaming the user for not having opted in.”22 Aug 2020·1Br0wn·Nagging TflTfl App: Privacy settings.“The Tfl App’s Privacy Settings offer a ‘Accept All’ but no ‘Reject All’ option. For users not wanting to Accept All the option is to ‘Manage Cookies’ which then leads the requirement to ‘Manage Partners’. Users may find this time-consuming and non-transparent.”22 Aug 2020·PrivacyMatters FacebookWired: How Facebook and Other Sites Manipulate Your Privacy ChoicesSocial media platforms repeatedly use so-called dark patterns to nudge you toward giving away more of your data.12 Aug 2020·Arielle Pardas·Preselection NowTVNow TV: subscription cancellation.“Now TV takes subscribers wishing to cancel through multiple screens asking them if they’re sure they wish to cancel before letting them select ‘I still want to cancel’.”4 Aug 2020·JamieJBartlett·Hard to cancel Rosetta StoneWired: How to Spot—and Avoid—Dark Patterns on the WebYou’ve seen them before: the UX ploys designed to trick you into spending money, or make it nearly impossible to unsubscribe. Here’s what to look out for.29 Jul 2020·Eric Ravenscraft·Obstruction CadburysA thread about nutrition information labels on prepacked food in the UK, and how they can be manipulated.“While nutrition and food labelling is in the news, here’s a thread about the nutrition information labels which are required to appear on prepacked food in the UK, and how they can be manipulated with increasingly absurd definitions of a “serving”. Examples follow…”29 Jul 2020·elocemearg TrumpFake timer, sneak-into-basket and false assertions used on Trump’s donation website.“Numerous dark patterns employed by the Trump campaign.”22 Jul 2020·ChetMcAwsomLazr·Sneaking New York TimesNew York Times Makes Subscription Cancellations ‘Exceedingly Difficult’ for Consumers, Class Action Lawsuit AllegesA class action lawsuit was filed in June 2020, alleging that the New York Times has been violating California law by automatically renewing consumers’ subscriptions without proper authorization and making it “exceedingly difficult” to cancel existing subscriptions.18 Jun 2020·Jerry Lambe·Hard to cancel CourseraCoursera shows course as “Enroll for Free” but after a user signs in, it becomes a $39/month premium subscription.“This coursera course looks free, which tempts users to register. Once they have registered, the website reveals that the course is not free.”29 May 2020·Lokipi FacebookDark patterns identified in the consent-obtaining mechanisms of Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft“Qualitative evaluation of the consent-obtaining mechanisms implemented and used by the five big tech companies, i.e. Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft (GAFAM)”15 Apr 2020·SoheilHuman The New YorkerThe New Yorker: consent preferences.“The New Yorker’s consent preferences are unclear. The option for ‘Do Not Sell My Personal Information’ appears to be on, implying the user has selected not to have their information sold, but the instructions say to move it to the left to turn it off. This is confusing.”30 Mar 2020·josh_zelonis UdemyUdemy: Advertising unobtainable price.“Udemy Course Dark Pattern for Price Discount, Happened on multiple courses as soon as I clicked buy now or log in it would go back to the original price, I heard they were stealing professors lectures as well and not compensating them or dealing with copyright well either.”27 Mar 2020·nixwave RyanairRyanair: subscriber opt-out.“Ryanair’s text for subscribing to their mailing list says ‘If you don’t wish to receive these offers, please opt-out’ but the tick box is checked by default. This is confusing for the user - do they need to leave the box checked, or uncheck, to opt out?”9 Mar 2020·cynddl·Preselection YousicianYousician: free trial.“Tried out @yousician, but sadly hit right away with @darkpatterns. Tap “Start with free trial” (primes me that I’m not committing to anything yet), give finger ID (almost an habitual thing, as it’s required for free apps too) and you just signed up to a 145 USD/y plan.”7 Feb 2020·wwalmink·Hidden subscription Conde NastConde Nast: consent preferences.“Look at this misleading crap from @CondeNast. The switch labeled “do not sell my personal info” actually needs to be switched to OFF to keep info private, only explained in the small print. And even though I clicked “do not sell” to get this popup, it’s set to ON by default!”6 Feb 2020·eparillon·Visual interference NetflixNetflix: misleading promotional email.“I’ve received an email from @netflix asking me to “finalise the signup” when I don’t remember registering. Worried about the identity theft etc went to a chat & discovered this is a “PROMOTIONAL EMAIL”.”4 Feb 2020·StealthRadek YahooYahoo Mail: adverts presented as unread emails.“Dark #UX pattern spotted on @yahoomail - ads are styled to look like unread emails, making it too easy for users to accidentally click on the ad and drive revenue to Yahoo and their advertisers.”28 Jan 2020·Emilia_Totzeva ShazamShazam: Unpredictable menu options.“When you press the menu icon the result seems to randomly switch between displaying the full menu where you can choose to open the song in Spotify, save it, or share it, and the Apple Music only pop-up. Sometimes you can press it multiple times & get only one result or the other.”28 Jan 2020·letsrollok TeslaAuthor Nassim Nicholas Taleb is caught out by Dark Patterns in the Tesla app and is denied a refund.“Elon @elonmusk, your Customer Support at Tesla is even worse than I claimed last time. It is an insult to your customers.”15 Jan 2020·nntaleb TeslaElon Musk responds to author Nassim Nicholas Taleb regarding his Dark Pattern complaint.“@nntaleb Just saw this today. Tesla refunds in general should be easy to get electronically \& certainly through customer service. Will he addressed.”15 Jan 2020·elonmusk The New YorkerNew Yorker: consent preferences.“On the @NewYorker’s site, there’s a cookie setting literally called “Sell My Personal Information”. If you disable it, it will auto-enable itself when you use the CTA to close the window! Absolutely egregious disregard for ethical UX.”11 Jan 2020·_armannobari Wish ShoppingWish Shopping: unsubscribe.“I hate stuff like this, came across this one recently on @WishShopping. Also important to note, this only, modal comes up after you submit a form of checkboxes, where the last box resubscribes you to a weekly drip campaign”27 Dec 2019·IamTrevorMurphy OutlookOutlook: consent preferences.“So, @outlook/@Microsoft wants me to manually un-check like 100 companies if I don’t want them collecting my data… #privacy”4 Dec 2019·AdrianSkar MicrosoftMicrosoft: consent preferences.“Very @darkpatterns example by @Microsoft? What are my options here? “Accept optional data…” as opposed to “Yes send optional data…”. I wish not to send anything. Which option should I choose?”30 Nov 2019·BrtZndbrgn PlusnetPlusnet: Marketing opt-out.“Plusnet with their intentionally confusing language.”24 Nov 2019·Seriphe·Trick wording, Preselection LinkedinLinkedIn: unsubscribe.“After hunting down the tiny link I was sure I had cancelled my @LinkedIn premium subscription last month. Turns out they switch the primary and secondary button so at a glance you think you are performing the opposite action”23 Nov 2019·occitanemoron ICICI BankICICI Bank: life cover upsell.“WTF @ICICIBank, why would I need life cover while transferring funds to a friend!”23 Nov 2019·mitul_45 FacebookFacebook hijacks your back button, generating 12 entries for each page you visit.“Facebook makes it hard for users to leave facebook via their browser’s back button.”22 Nov 2019·xichael YahooYahoo: unsubscribe.“Trying to unsubscribe from @Yahoo/@verizonmedia”22 Nov 2019·MCSeb·Hard to cancel FacebookFacebook App: fake message alert.“That Facebook and its #UX#darkpattern When you are on the web, it shows you a message that does not exist to download the messaging app, Hook Model in action.”16 Nov 2019·cchavezhello GoogleGoogle: consent preferences.“Google hiding the ability to say no thanks only if you scroll down. Not immediately obvious that you can”9 Nov 2019·glen_george ClickUpClickUp: user shaming.“A signup window for ClickUp says: ‘Save 26 days per year. We analyzed the time saved by over 4,000 teams after switching to ClickUp. That’s 624 hours back!’ Underneath, the button for not signing up is labelled ‘No, I want to waste 26 days’”7 Nov 2019·jnnksbrt RevolutAppRevolutApp: consent preferences.“Hey @RevolutApp. What’s with the confusing, blatant dark pattern messaging here when I go to toggle targeted marketing? Why MUST you be so sneaky? Why? Why?”6 Nov 2019·KimberlyMicado·Sneaking SpotHeroSpotHero: confusing unsubscribe.“Check out this gem. Change in standard answer, followed by double negative content.”5 Nov 2019·TeacohTime·Trick wording Fii StilatFii Stilat: fake countdown timer.“Textbook example of @darkpatterns in Europe: @BogdanCovrig & I visited this webshop from three different browsers & they seem to personalize their timers to the specific browser call. No math.random(), but still curious. Days don’t change, just minutes & seconds.”4 Nov 2019·CatalinaGoanta·Fake urgency AmazonAmazon Music Unlimited: cancelling subscription.“Amazon makes you click Into “Advanced Controls”, move past a bunch of options of which none is $0.00, and then search for a plaintext link just to cancel your subscription.”3 Nov 2019·MichaelKolber·Hard to cancel AppleApple IOS: nagging users to subscribe to Apple Pay.“iPhone users are nagged to sign up to Apple Pay”31 Oct 2019·BEERLEAGUERED·Nagging Disney DestinationsDisney Destinations: unsubscribe.“stop making people jump through the hoop! make these processes simple and straightforward!”29 Oct 2019·dishonestmktg RokuThey Know What You Watched Last Night“Many streaming customers are unaware that the sitcom titles they prefer, the ads they do not skip, their email addresses and the serial numbers identifying the devices they use are being harvested and distributed.”25 Oct 2019·Tiffany Hsu BecauseNightIsBetter.comBecauseNightIsBetter.com: allow notifications.“One of the worst @darkpatterns I ever came across: Press allow notifications to verify that you are not a robot. When you decline it even redirects you to a different subdomain and asks you again.”19 Oct 2019·etticat Alternate.dealternate.de: consent preferences.“See this #darkpattern all the time in cookie banners: the primary action is not ‘confirm’, but ‘select + confirm all’”19 Oct 2019·obesechinese Dark Patterns GamesDark Pattern Games: resource for gamers wanting to avoid Dark Patterns.“Dark Pattern Games is a review site that analyses the Dark Patterns used by different games. It has a voting system and is meticulously put together.”17 Oct 2019·Anon IntuitThe Turbotax Trap - How the Tax Prep Industry Makes You PayIn this series of in-depth articles, Investigative journalist Justin Elliott looks into the various manipulative and deceptive techniques that Intuit allegedly used in their Turbotax software.17 Oct 2019·Justin Elliott, Paul Kiel & Will Yong EEEE: unclear services sign up.“One of the many reasons I’m leaving @EE - pulling @darkpatterns like this. Go to buy more data (extortionately priced), choose “One-off” and a pop-up appears with “Monthly Recurring” as the prominent, highlighted option. Now I have to waste my time working out how to cancel…”17 Oct 2019·danchristians OnetravelOnetravel uses a random number generator to create a fake “X people are looking at this flight” notification. “Ok this is really funny, check this out. I was in the process of booking a flight via @OneTravel. Trying to make me book ASAP, they claimed: “38 people are looking at this flight”. Whoa”16 Oct 2019·Harpaz, Ophir·Fake social proof CitibankCitibank: upselling pop up.“This #darkpattern pops up from time to time in the @Citi @Citibank mobile app. There’s no way to dismiss the initial pop up, and when you try to say No Thanks on the next screen, you must confirm you’re not interested.”14 Oct 2019·ryantaber88 GumtreeGumtree: marketing preferences.“On log in, you either accept marketing emails or cancel which logs you out. No way to opt out here. That’s not good UX @Gumtree #darkpattern”14 Oct 2019·christiansandor·Preselection RokuSmart TVs are data-collecting machines, new study shows“Add smart TVs to the growing list of home appliances guilty of surveilling people’s movements. A new study from Princeton University shows internet-connected TVs, which allow people to stream Netflix and Hulu, are loaded with data-hungry trackers.”11 Oct 2019·Zoe Schiffer·Visual interference LinkedinLinkedIn: Sync contacts.“Some more #darkpatterns here, by LinkedIn. You can either sync, or postpone for later.”6 Oct 2019·pappasadrian UnknownUnknown: cookie preferences.“Here’s a ridiculous example of a deceptive dark pattern. Looks like advertising and analytics cookies are off by default, but the red button actually turns them on. You have to click «more options» to keep it disabled.”2 Oct 2019·airavn TouchnoteTouchnote: misleading ‘best value’.“@Touchnote has this gem on their pricing comparison page. One option is marked as “best value”. The selected item promises $19.80 of savings. But…they are all the same price?”30 Sept 2019·JC_UX IkeaIKEA: self-service POS terminal.“Hello @IKEAUK, this is from your self-service POS terminal. I don’t want to enter my post code, where am I supposed to press ‘No Thanks’ ?”29 Sept 2019·djh NDTV FoodNDTV Food: user shaming.“You know what @NDTVFood, this doesn’t give the greatest impression of your site.”28 Sept 2019·pgl Beyond BurgerBeyond Burger: allow notifications.“check out this cursed shit i found on this site. it tells you to allow notifications to verify if your a human with a fake captcha. i only have seen the beyond burger site do this.”27 Sept 2019·AmiTheRobot EventbriteEventbrite: marketing preferences.“in Eventbrite’s last step when you register for tickets. ‘Go To My Tickets’ not only signs you up for email marketing but it’s already opt-in for you. Sneaky + interfering the interface.”23 Sept 2019·AndreiStroescu1·Sneaking QuoraQuora: forced App sign up.“Shame on @Quora for implementing a dark pattern that forces me to download their app without an option to exit this horrible popup”10 Sept 2019·koolamusic BuienradarBuienradar: pop-up consent.“Example of @darkpatterns. The page I wanted to view is hidden by an overlay asking permission to show a popup. I don’t want that, but my only options are ‘yes’ and ‘not now, maybe later’. Where is the ‘no’, @buienradar?”10 Sept 2019·BrtZndbrgn Météo-FranceMétéo-France: settings preferences.“Nice @darkpatterns here @meteofrance: “j’accepte” doesn’t save the current settings, it turns everything on and exits. To keep the selected settings you have to chose “je valide mes choix””8 Sept 2019·EvpokPadding GrammarlyGrammarly: hidden cancel subscription button.“Hey @Grammarly, kinda shitty UX trying to hide the button to cancel my subscription.”3 Sept 2019·AndreasNorman·Hard to cancel YahooYahoo: unsubscribe.“Trying to unsubscribe, so which option is colored, buttonized, front and center? Cancel, of course.”30 Aug 2019·BrianHershey·Hard to cancel Swiss AirlinesSwiss Airlines: cookie settings.“What a mischievous technique to trick people into giving in all the data by accidentally clicking the wrong click of action.”30 Aug 2019·smashingmag UnknownUnknown: marketing preferences.“@darkpatterns on this danish Website. It says: You will also recieve our newsletter. Easy to unsubscribe. It has a checkbox that says: Okay, i understand. And if not checked, a warning appears forcing you to check it. Bad impression in the first 2 minutes.”28 Aug 2019·VilladsClaes Vueling AirlinesVueling Airlines: sneaking services to customers as ‘Priority Boarding’.“The check-in process in @vueling hiding so many @darkpatterns to fool the passengers taking services we don’t want as ‘prioritary boarding”19 Aug 2019·NachoOliveras·Sneaking CourseraCoursera: marketing preferences.“Yet another example of @darkpatterns, this time found on @coursera. You cannot just decline, it’s “now” or “later”…”19 Aug 2019·jacek_bilski CBSCBS: You are about to cancel your subscription. Still want to cancel after us asking 4 times?“CBS makes it exceptionally difficult for users to cancel their premium subscription.”18 Aug 2019·LifeLegacy·Hard to cancel Contacts+Contacts+: Call spam block.“Hey @contactsplus you’re joining the @darkpatterns army!”17 Aug 2019·_gallina_GoogleGoogle News: ad-blockers & privacy tools.“Today @googlenews joined the ranks of “Sites that don’t want you to use ad-blockers/privacy tools & just tell you that you’re offline if you do” (along with @TheAtlantic) I’m fine with “Turn off your ad-blocker to use this site,” less so with lying.”16 Aug 2019·jessamyn TripAdvisorTripAdvisor: deleting account.“Deleting your TripAdvisor account? It’s more complex than destroying a ring Did you notice that “back” button that looks like a submit one? Well it took me 3 times to realize I was always going backwards instead of deleting my account”14 Aug 2019·Mamboleoo UserTestingUserTesting: unclear pricing information.“@usertesting the sadly ironic sales experience for visitors on your site is disappointing. No prices + minimal info on the pricing page = informed decision? Then chatbot that asks an unanswerable question & forces me to give email address/name before asking more.”5 Aug 2019·ycamjak SonyShining a Light on Dark Patterns“This article provides the first public evidence of the power of dark patterns. […] Users in the mild dark pattern condition were more than twice as likely to remain enrolled as those assigned to the control group, and users in the aggressive dark pattern condition were almost four times as likely to remain enrolled in the program.”5 Aug 2019·Luguri, Jamie; Strahilevitz, Lior GitlabGitlab: marketing preferences.“This sadly looks like a @darkpatterns from @gitlab 2019 Global Developer Report: DevSecOps”5 Aug 2019·hpizaia GoogleYouTube Premium: confusing subscribe pop-up.“Intentionally confusing buttons from “don’t be evil” @google @YouTube here.”30 Jul 2019·pauledevans·Trick wording KingoWhatsappKingoWhatsapp: Consent preferences.""Do you want it or you want it? The choice is yours.” What kind of UX #darkPattern sorcery is this lol…”27 Jul 2019·MaticJ QuoraQuora: forced app download.“@Quora, please let me know when you have fixed this very dark example of @darkpatterns. I do not have the app and do not wish to download it. You leave me no other choice than leaving Quora. If that’s what you want, so be it.”26 Jul 2019·BrtZndbrgn AdmiralAdmiral: renewal and cancellation of insurance.“Really poor @darkpatterns from @AdmiralUK. Sign up for car insurance online, manage account online, get email notification of auto-renewal (which I didn’t explicitly sign up for) for a 38% increase in cost. No option to cancel auto-renewal online. Shameful and exploitative.”24 Jul 2019·thelonelyrobot·Hard to cancel ListonicListonic: ‘add item’ button design also used in site’s advertisements.“Another #DarkPattern from @listonic (a grocery list app). They use a blue button to add an item to your grocery list - but that button disappears when you scroll down. Their ad space, however, has a similar blue button plastered to it that’s always visible.”21 Jul 2019·DougCollinsUX jakesweeney.comJake Sweeney car dealership: marketing unsubscribe.“Haven’t seen this dark pattern before… Hit unsubscribe from an email, then like most people I almost skipped the “why?” part and almost got resubscribed. Car dealerships are still generally bad marketers.”19 Jul 2019·cuhpajo National ExpressNational Express: cash back offer used to sneak sale of paid-for subscription.“Oof, a masterful dark pattern from @nationalexpress @darkpatterns”17 Jul 2019·fawkesley·Sneaking Crazy EggCrazy egg: pop-ups.“@crazyegg You know what users LOVE when they’re reading articles? Takeover popups that interrupt them and can’t be dismissed. This is some @darkpatterns shenanigans right here.”16 Jul 2019·fienen NetflixNetflix: autoplay for kids’ TV shows.“Frustrating: Can’t turn off @Netflix autoplaying next episode kids’ videos directly on smart TV (must use web interface) Bat-Sh*t Infuriating: @Netflix apparently CAN’T disable autoplay for KIDS profiles (only adult ones)? Shame on you.”13 Jul 2019·lukestein·Addictive Design ICOICO: cookie preferences.“I have no idea if analytics cookies are turned on or off. This obviously is not what ‘good’ looks like.”4 Jul 2019·tbroyer Daily ExpressDaily Express: cookie preferences.“OK, so let’s “continue to partners” (there isn’t another option anyway). So this screen is now about advertising and tracking. There are 252 partners listed here, with 245 pre-selected. That is a lot of companies who want to know about you. Note the @darkpatterns usage of green.”3 Jul 2019·drogersuk·Preselection LionsgateLionsgate: marketing opt-in.“Tried to redeem a @lionsgate digital movie download code, was forced into accepting spam marketing emails if I wanted to continue.”30 Jun 2019·gfitzp FacebookFacebook’s “friend request” list becomes an “invite friends” list as you scroll down, making it easy to mistakenly invite friends. “Facebook users are prompt with a list of friend requests. They start tapping the ‘Confirm’ buttons, repeatedly, one after the other. At some point, the list starts showing suggestions instead of requests, but since the UI is almost identical, users easily miss this important difference, resulting in some unwanted friend requests.”26 Jun 2019·GilBouhnick New BalanceHow E-Commerce Sites Manipulate You Into Buying Things You May Not Want“‘Alexandra from Anaheim just saved $222 on her order’ says one message next to an image of a bright, multicolored dress. […] But “Alexandra from Anaheim” did not buy the dress. She does not exist.”24 Jun 2019·Jennifer Valentino-DeVries·Preselection MyFitnessPalMyFitnessPal: consent preferences.“I tried ticking and unticking the boxes—there’s no way to permanently say no to both in @MyFitnessPal.”23 Jun 2019·liamdaws SmuleSmule: sign out of app.“No way to sign out on @smule, an app with millions of downloads. To delete your account, you need to submit a request through their FAQ on their website and fill a super long form. I hate it when apps do this.”19 Jun 2019·anthilemoon·Hard to cancel GoogleGoogle Backup and Sync: “weasel wording” from the app preferences.“A perfect example of “weasel wording” from the Google Backup and Sync app preferences.”14 Jun 2019·harrybr Otto.deOtto.de: Newsletter opt-in required to subscribe.“This is once a #darkpattern : I have to order the newsletter in order to be able to register with #otto_de”12 Jun 2019·holger1411 Pressed JuiceryWhich button should the user push to cancel their membership? “Continue” or “Cancel”?“@PressedJuicery Trying to unsubscribe from membership, and this what I get?! If I want to cancel, what button do I push?- You have to work at it to be this bad. #darkpatterns”9 Jun 2019·kmcurk·Hard to cancel IpsyIpsy: cancellation.“Guess I didn’t cancel my @ipsy membership last month. I hope the $10 was worth it. I was planning to take a break for the summer, now I’ll never subscribe to ipsy again.”2 Jun 2019·JessicaDunbar·Hard to cancel QuoraQuora: pop-ups.“There’s a dark pattern when you’re browsing @Quora on mobile. You can read an article for a while, but then this pop up shows up. There’s no way to exit out of the pop up without choosing one of these options and they both link to the App Store.”2 Jun 2019·JardenaGJ JetBlueJetBlue: seat selection implies necessary upgrade.“This is a BS dark pattern from @JetBlue. They give the the cheap price of the flight, you enter all your info, then when it comes time to pick a seat, they make it seem like you need to upgrade to make sure you have a seat.”25 May 2019·drbarnard airbnbAirbnb: Unclear total price.“Great @darkpatterns from @Airbnb - The price first displayed is less than half of the actual total. The filter doesn’t use the total, so it’s useless. The lack of friction helps push people through w/o noticing. Still used AirBnb, but no longer my 1st choice.”21 May 2019·BBBP14 LastMinute.comLastminute.com - active button designed to look inactive.“Discovered such a shitty dark pattern on @lastminute_com - radio button looks like it’s inactive but in fact you can still press on it. Thumbs down not good, LastMinute.”16 May 2019·gn0me LeMonde.frLe Monde: cancel online subscription.“So apparently, to stop my (online) subscription @lemondefr, I gotta print a paper, fill my data, then send it like a postcard (and pay in the process). Nice”10 May 2019·nielswd·Hard to cancel YahooYahoo: consent.“https://consent.yahoo.com/consent shame on you; on big easy button to accept or masses of well buried individual links to reject?”9 May 2019·DHMeagher·Obstruction United AirlinesUnited: data collection and sharing.“@united doesn’t allow you to do web check in unless you download an app and scan your passport. The app collects data it is then able to sell to 3rd parties for their own marketing purposes. Everyone seems eager to get a slice of us…”8 May 2019·juanof9 MediumMedium: Alt text.“Holy crap, I had no idea @medium has known about this for years and still not fixed it. So they don’t care about blind people?”6 May 2019·joelanman MediumMedium: Misleading sign up.“Medium’s signup process is a #darkpattern. It may seem like the only way to create an account is using Facebook/Google, but you can still use email. 1) Go to the “Sign in” page, 2) Click on “Sign in with email”, 3) Enter your email, 4) Medium emails you an account creation link.”3 May 2019·aruneshmathur·Forced action Square EnixDo not uncheck this box if you wish to be contacted via email…“Square Enix uses trick wording so that some users will unintentionally opt in to marketing communications.”3 May 2019·redwall_hp·Trick wording UnknownUnknown: consent.“I don’t want to turn into a data bore, but I’m really beginning to notice what I’ll call ‘consent architecture’. A single click of a massive button to let all the cookies do all the tracking. Or manually unclicking every button, one by one Practical and possible are v. Different”2 May 2019·carljackmiller GoogleWhen manipulation is the digital business modelEver looked for an online cancel button and struggled to find it? ‘Dark patterns’ may be to blame (Opinion feature in FT Magazine)1 May 2019·Madhumita Murgia Citizen appCitizen app: location access.“@CitizenApp, via a server enabled “experiment”, now ̶a̶s̶k̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ requiring “Always allow” location access. Switching to “When is use” results in not being able to use the app at all”30 Apr 2019·capnbrbsa bestproducts.combestproducts.com: Shamed into notifications/newsletters“A company may use language that guilts or shames the user into getting notifications or signing up for newsletters for the company to continue reaching out to them about products or services. This dark pattern was spotted on bestproducts.com and submitted to confirmshaming.tumblr.com .”28 Apr 2019·Dark Patterns Tip Line·Confirmshaming AmazonAmazon: Pantry & free shipping offer.“me: let me quickly order the #toddler some lotion @amazon: cool, do this pantry thing for #freeshipping me: k sure, let’s get a bunch amazon: nah we Red heart #ux @darkpatterns so you need to subscribe”27 Apr 2019·dejmejia JoeBiden.comJoe Biden: Unsubscribe.“Say it ain’t so, Joe. First required field and submit button is to remain in the list. Unsubscribe isn’t prepopulated with my email address? That’s some #darkpatterns black magic. @darkpatterns”26 Apr 2019·MitchMirsky MicrosoftMicrosoft: Auto-select of promotional emails.“@Microsoft please don’t auto-select “contact me with promotional offers” after I deselected it and then navigated to select my region. It’s unbecoming of what is otherwise a very good company.”25 Apr 2019·AdamSmithKipnis AmazonAmazon Prime: cancel subscription.“Cancelling Amazon Prime is a simple three step shaming process. All you have to do is scream “I don’t want my benefits” in to a mirror, without crying. Please respect my privacy through this difficult time”24 Apr 2019·martynreding·Hard to cancel LucidchartLucidchart: cancel subscription.“Hey @lucidchart, are you for real? You seriously want to burn those bridges down with those checkmarks, don’t you”23 Apr 2019·lambdadmitry·Hard to cancel TurboTaxTurboTax: Tricked users into paying for “free” tax filing“TurboTax advertised a “Free Guaranteed” service for lower income taxpayers. However, when they staged a profile of a “house cleaner and cashier” who made less than $66,000 to sign up for the product, they are led to paid products and created a difficult path to find the free version. Original investigative research was conducted and reported by ProPublica in April 2019.”22 Apr 2019·Dark Patterns Tip Line GanttPROGanttPRO: Unsubscribe.“Try and figure out how to cancel your subscription for @GanttPROcom. Yep it’s the little “link” word that has a font-size of 11px and in no way looks like a link. Also, it’s mentioned nowhere in their Help Center (which conveniently has no search).”17 Apr 2019·atokmakchiev·Hard to cancel IntuitIntuit: Email preferences.“This is @Intuit mailing mngmt. How many dark patterns can you spot? Intentional hiding of “unsubscribe”. Double negatives. Check to NOT receive emails but sometimes you actually sign up. And Zuckering – lets you work hard to rid of all their crap.”16 Apr 2019·zmetak·Trick wording SumAllSumAll: Deactiviation.“Finally, I fell in the @darkpatterns by @Sumall Twitter automation tool. Their deactivate account button is gray but the cancellation button (NO, GO BACK.) is green.”12 Apr 2019·Gtarafdarr YelpYelp: updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.“Oh hey @Yelp @darkpatterns: “We’ve updated our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy” Click ’OK’ -> banner disappears New policy lets friends ‘check you in’, shares city w/ co’s, adds arbitration clause in ToS PP diff: https://diffchecker.com/IyAWdaAb ToS diff: https://diffchecker.com/Axd8qn4W”10 Apr 2019·ashk4n FrysbeFrysbe: App requests data with no decline option“This app asks to collect data, but does not offer a way for the user to decline data collection. The screenshot was taken in April 2019 and posted publicly to Twitter by @darkpatterns.”4 Apr 2019·Dark Patterns Tip Line Office DepotFederal Trade Commission v. Office Depot, Complaint for Permanent Injunction and Other Equitable Relief, Case No. 9-19-cv-80431 (S.D. Fla. Mar. 27, 2019),“Office Depot and […] Support.com, were [accused of] falsely informing consumers that their computers were infected with malware and then selling them various fixes for non-existent problems.” (Summary from Luguri & Strahilevitz, 2019)27 Mar 2019 BoursoramaBoursorama: Can’t close bank insurance pop-up.“Omg, You kidding @boursorama? When I open a new bank account I find this Pop-up “Do you want to subscribe to our bank insurance?” Wait… where is the cross to close the pop-up? What are the insurance conditions? Seriously it’s hidden and only visible in hover…”12 Mar 2019·DoDontUX ColorfyColorfy: Unsubscribe.“So angry My mum was wondering where all her iTunes credit was going. I checked her subscriptions “But I deleted that app!” she said. She had no idea this was happening. For months. And just kept putting more money in She bought it because her grandson loves colouring”11 Mar 2019·twolivesleft UnknownUnknown: ‘Add to cart to see price’.“Site makes customer add item to shopping cart in order to see the price”8 Mar 2019·LeslieRaeMag Three - phone networkThree: Marketing opt-out.“You can’t opt out of this spam from @ThreeUKSupport without signing up to My3.”3 Mar 2019·AmThatKindaDude·Preselection GoFundMeGo Fund Me: sign in.“@gofundme this is very sad… as you can imagine following https://twitter.com/utopiah/status/1099075503955288064 I do NOT want to use not create a new account. Yet this makes it seem like its mandatory. Should @darkpatterns also pitch in?”1 Mar 2019·utopiah MyFaxMyFax: Cancel subscription.“When in doubt, make a tool that doesn’t work (didn’t send any of my faxes) and have it be as difficult as possible to cancel a free trial @darkpatterns #darkpatterns There isn’t even a numbered option to cancel on the phone system, 15 minutes on hold… awesome.”27 Feb 2019·jamesphig·Hard to cancel FacebookFacebook: misleading notifications when not signed in.“Facebook’s #darkpatterns at work again. I don’t have any notifications, yet it keeps showing that I have when I am not logged in.”25 Feb 2019·shubhamjainco XING NewsXING News: Unsubscribe.“No “unsubscribe all”? Really @XINGNews?”22 Feb 2019·philbergdorf Delta AirlinesDelta: Mailing list unsubscribe.“~a double whammy~ 1) @darkpatterns: trying to unsubscribe from @Delta, are the “program updates” REALLY that important? or you just don’t want me to unsub 2) #UX: THESE ARE CHECKBOXES BUT YOU CAN ONLY CHECK ONE THIS IS WHAT RADIO BUTTONS ARE FOR”22 Feb 2019·_weimf·Hard to cancel CIBCCIBC: Forced ads and unclear buttons.“Horrible experience opening the @cibc iPhone app - multiple @darkpatterns. A forced ad you have to scroll 3 pages down to get past. Then, “No Thanks” is not styled like a button. Makes you double-confirm with reverse-styled buttons. “Go to my accounts” is why I opened the app!”16 Feb 2019·deviantintegral Inverse.comInverse.com: Declining newsletter sign-up.“Inverse.com: You have to scroll down from the full screen pop up to decline”15 Feb 2019·liquidbrains ProflowersProflowers puts your savings on bottom to make it look like your actual price. When your order price is actually above it.“To add to this. The 2 additional fees you see at the bottom weren’t shown until after filling out and customizing your order. At the beginning, it said I’d only be paying for shipping.”12 Feb 2019·GeeShepherd·Hidden Costs NextClothing retailer Next requires users to tick some checkboxes and untick others in order to opt out from marketing emails.“Next requires users to tick a series of four checkboxes to opt out of marketing communications, but then requires users to leave the fifth checkbox unticked to opt out. If they are not paying close attention, they will opt in by mistake.”7 Feb 2019·theya222·Preselection Imperial War Museum DuxfordImperial War Museum Duxford: Ticket prices.“Imperial War Museum Duxford hides by default the actual price of their tickets in favour of one including a ‘voluntary donation’”6 Feb 2019·Gibfender YahooYahoo uses confusing design to users into staying subscribed to their mailing lists.“Yahoo uses trick wording. The button labelled “No, cancel” actually means “cancel the cancellation” and causes the user to stay subscribed.”5 Feb 2019·th3userscene·Trick wording 24PetWatch24PetWatch: Unsubscribe.“Not very happy with @24petwatch. They offer a 30 day trial of their pet insurance policy, but their website has no way to canel the trial. NOT cool”5 Feb 2019·JohnJMills UltimateGuitarUltimate Guitar: unable to decline permissions.“Wow @ultimateguitar, I just plugged my earphones in, and your app, which wasn’t even in the foreground, prompted me to give access to my earbuds microphone. Clicking cancel just respawned the dialog. Had no choice but to accept!”4 Feb 2019·xgouchet UnknownUnknown: Price change during license subscription process.“Impressed with this bug! #DarkUX This is a license purchase dialog for a software. Pay close attention to the UX: User looks at the price £2.50. Goes to Lifetime License. New price is £29.99. Animation brings out an input. User attention shifts to completing the transaction.”31 Jan 2019·kuizinas SnapchatSnapchat: misleading marketing sign up.“#darkpattern from @Snapchat. This form makes it seem like you need to add your email address to be able to complete the form. You don’t.”31 Jan 2019·aro_007 Soul Run Free ProSoundguys.com: Headphones are collecting too much personal data“I can’t think of a single reason why a pair of workout earbuds need access to someone’s menstrual history. We should just call it what it is because, at that point, it doesn’t feel like a transaction anymore. It’s just spying.” 17 Jan 2019·Adam Molina·Forced action FlyBysFlyBys: Marketing preferences.“Probably easier to just delete the email than to have to select every single checkbox to unsubscribe hey @flybuys? Or maybe that’s the point…”9 Jan 2019·NickJacobAU Cosmopolitan magazineConfirmshaming.“Tumblr account dedicated to examples of confirmshaming.”1 Jan 2019·Anon·Confirmshaming CodePenCodePen: Unsubscribe from mailing list.“CodePen circumventing legal “Unsubscribe from mail list” requirements by adding you to 5 separate mail lists.”21 Dec 2018·birkir EPIC GamesEpic Games Store added the word “not” to the standard blurb about receiving emails. “Epic requires users to tick a box to opt out of emails. if the user does not notice this UI control, they will be automatically opted into emails.”15 Dec 2018·craftkiller·Preselection GoogleEvery Step You Take“Report by the Norwegian Consumer Council showing how Google uses dark patterns to manipulate users into enabling location tracking. The NCC filed a GDPR complaint against Google based on the report.”27 Nov 2018·Norwegian Consumer Council Brilliant.orgBrilliant.org: Unsubscribe.“Tried cancelling my subscription today…”14 Nov 2018·harksha Texas voting machinesTexas voting machines: Switching votes“When Texas’ early voting process started, some people finished filling out their ballot only to see that their choices had been changed — either switched from one party to another, or erased completely. This seemed like a bug at best, or deliberate election tampering at worst.”30 Oct 2018·Adi Robertson RedditReddit uses annoying overlay on website to coerce app downloads.“Reddit makes it’s website difficult to use, in an effort to drive users to use their native mobile apps.”5 Oct 2018·TableSurface Time Warner CableTime Warner Cable: Manipulative Dropdown List.“Dropdown list is written so that typing “1” enters in “10”, not “1”.”1 Oct 2018·Gray et al.GunshotDigital.comFake Captcha.“The website asks the user to either wait 20 seconds or click a Google+ “+1” button to prove that they are human. Most users will not want to wait 20 seconds to access the site, so they may click the “+1” for a reason they would normally not.”12 Sept 2018·Gray et al.StudentLifeNetworkStudentLifeNetwork: marketing sign up.“The button is greyed out but works. To trick you into signing up for spam.”10 Sept 2018·KlumsyGamer·Visual interference Triangle Media CorporationF.T.C. v. Triangle Media Corp., 2018 WL 4051701, Case No. 18cv1388-MMA (NLS) (S.D. Cal. Aug. 24, 2018).The operators of a worldwide negative option scam have agreed to settle FTC charges that they deceptively advertised “risk-free” trial offers for only the cost of shipping and handling, but then charged consumers full price for the trial product and enrolled them in expensive, ongoing continuity plans without their knowledge or consent.24 Aug 2018·Hidden subscription AirtableAirTable: hidden charges for sharing.“When a subscriber shares a link to an Airtable document, they are charged a year’s subscription fee for each person a document is shared with. The charges are incurred without any notification or warning.”16 Aug 2018·harrybr·Hidden Costs VenmoVenmo: Public transactions by default“A social payment platform makes all transactions public by default, which means that a person must remember to change the setting from public to private, or risk social harm. For example, reports highlight that some people made public transactions that used drug or alcohol terms in the payment descriptions — this could be humiliating or harmful to their reputation or be an accidental breach of what was meant to be private information. The onus is on the company to make the transactions private by default. The screenshot was originally posted by a Twitter account (since devactivated by its creator) and published in BuzzFeedNews in an article published in July 2018. This work was also influenced by privacy researcher Hang Do Thi Duc, who made a project called Public by Default .”20 Jul 2018·Dark Patterns Tip Line FacebookFacebook and Google accused of using ‘dark patterns’ to mislead users into sharing personal dataNews article responding to the Norwegian Consumer Council’s “Deceived by Design” report. 28 Jun 2018·Binder, Matt·Preselection FacebookDeceived By DesignA fantastic report by the Norwegian Consumer Council that explains how tech companies use dark patterns to discourage us from exercising our rights to privacy. Facebook, Google and Windows 10 are named and shamed. 27 Jun 2018·Author unknown ForbesForbes: marketing cookies.“Opting out of Forbes ad cookies makes you wait for a fake progress bar to finish, and takes you back to repeat the process.”17 Jun 2018·EdgeLordPussySlayer VirginVirgin Media sign up: check the “Keeping in touch” checkbox to not keep in touch.“Virgin Media uses trick wording to obtain marketing opt-in permission.”21 Apr 2018·db0798 ·Trick wording GoogleGoogle Nexus 5: Login with Gmail.“You can set up the phone without a google account connected, but it doesn’t show that as an option until you fail to log in 3 times.”9 Apr 2018·NoPunkProphet TrustArcTrustArc appears to add a deliberate delay in their cookie preference manager.“@TrustArc Why does your EUPreferenceManger consistenly take exactly 30 seconds to save my opt out cookie preferences? What is it doing?”6 Mar 2018·troyhunt·Obstruction Wells FargoRichard Thaler, Nobel Prize-winning economist, says Wells Fargo is ‘slimy’.““Whenever anyone asks me to sign a copy of the book ‘Nudge’ I sign it ‘nudge for good’ which is a plea, not an expectation, because it is possible for actors in both the public and private sector to nudge for evil,” Thaler told MarketWatch.”16 Feb 2018·Leslie Albrecht Sleep CycleSleep Cycle: Misleading Free Trial.“A large green button says “Start Free Trial”, but in smaller writing below it says every subsequent year is $10.99. The skip button is also small and at the bottom.”22 Jan 2018·Gray et al.·Hidden subscription Booking.comHow Booking.com manipulates you.“Many websites and applications these days are designed to trick you into doing things that their creators want… But one of the most manipulative websites I’ve ever come across is Booking.com, the large hotel search & booking service.”17 Sept 2017·Roman Cheplyaka Spirit AirlinesSpirit Airlines: Deceptive Options during Booking Process.“Option 1: Pay $59.95 + $53.99 + flight price to purchase flight, 1 year membership in $9 fare club, and the various add-ons for this flight Option 2: Pay $63.99 + flight price to purchase flight Tiny unboxed option at bottom: Ignore all of the add-ons and purchase flight only”29 Aug 2017·u/jnachod Pastebin.comPastebin.com: Unsubscribe.“Want to unsubscribe? Hope you have good vision!”2 Aug 2017·u/instrun3 Thomas CookThomas Cook: Hidden Unsubscribe.“Unsubscribe link is buried in a mass of fine print and is difficult to find.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Obstruction, Visual interference InstagramInstagram: No Option for “No”.“The user is pressured to turn on notifications, and there is only the option for “not now” and “ok”. If the user does not want to turn on notifications, there is not option for that, and the app will continue to bother them about it.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.GoogleGoogle: Ads Disguised as Search Results.“The first four results of a google search for “flowers” are ads disguised as search results. They have a small green tag that identifies them as ads, but many users will not notice this and click on the ads anyways.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.Heroes and Generals GamesHeroes and Generals: In App Purchases.“The game uses a purchasable in-game currency to blur users’ recognition of the value they’re transferring.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Currency Confusion TrumpTrump Headquarters: Emotional Manipulation.“Trump Headquarters sent out this email with a biased “poll” shaming users into selecting the first option. Selecting the first option takes the user to a page asking for money. If you select the second option, it takes the user to a page asking if they stand with Trump.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming AmazonAmazon: Defaults to Subscription.“Defaults to subcription instead of one-time purchase”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.CourseHeroCourseHero: Pay or Contribute.“Unlock limited content by submitting 10 documents or by paying”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.LinkisLinkis: Preselects Twitter Follow.“The site opens this pop-up, ironically on an article about Dark Patterns. The big blue button allows the user to connect their twitter account, but the option the follow the site’s twitter is already checked.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Preselection painintheenglish.comPain in the English: Emotional Manipulation.“The website prompts the user to have it proofread their document, and shames them if they select no”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming Small Worlds GameSmall Worlds: Misleading Unsubscribe.“The big green button does NOT, in fact, unsubscribe you from emails, the link for that is further down.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Obstruction AudibleAudible: Forced Continuity.The typical case of forced continuity: free for one month then lapses into paid service. Also, (unsure if this is a dark pattern) the entire image shown here is the button to be clicked, not just the orange CTA button.1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Hidden subscription RyanairRyanair: Travel Insurance.“Ryanair hides the opt-out for travel insurance inside a drop-down list of countries to choose insurance for. Because there is no explicit “Do not ensure me” option, customers may pay for travel insurance they would not have if given the option.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Preselection Govia ThameslinkGovia Thameslink Railway: Hard to Find Unsubscribe.“Unsubscribe link is the same font and colour as the rest of the text, all of which is low-profile, low-contrast text to appear as unimportant on the bottom of the email.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Obstruction WashingtonPost.comWashington Post: Confusing Checkbox When Unsubscribing.“The Washington Post has a confusing checkbox when unsubscribing that makes it unclear whether or not the user is unsubscribing from a service.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.Casino.orgCasino.org: Fake Counter.“The site prominently displays a ticking counter of visitors’ winnings since 1995, but viewing the site through a foreign proxy reveals that the number isn’t exchange-rate accurate, just arbitrarily set somewhere in the 33,000,000.00+ range, regardless of currency or region.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.BovadaBovada: Bonus Winnings.“This online gambling site offers users generous ‘bonuses’ which are essentially free money for the express use of gambling on the site. It is not clear that the bonuses & any winnings can’t be withdrawn until a certain number of bets have been made on specific areas of the site.”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.YelpYelp: Disguised Ads.Yelp disguises ads to look similar to customer reviews, and puts them in the same area as reviews are posted.1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Disguised ads SpotifySpotify: Difficult to Cancel Subscription.“User has to select “cancel” four times to cancel”1 Aug 2017·Gray et al.·Hard to cancel NetflixNetflix: Next Episode.“When a user finishes the episode they are currently watching, Netflix automatically proceeds to the next episode after a countdown.”1 Jul 2017·Gray et al.United AirlinesUnited Airlines: Hidden Fees.“United distracts the user with two large “No additional charge” boxes, but includes possible baggage fees in small print.”1 Jul 2017·Gray et al.·Hidden Costs, Visual interference Dawn of War 3Dawn of War III: Required Secondary Subscription.“Users are required to subscribe to the newsletter to create an account”1 Jul 2017·Gray et al.·Forced action Internet AdFlash Ad.“This ad appears to the user as a game, and it uses flash to make it interactive. When the user moves their cursor around the ad, the target moves with it. When the user clicks to “stomp” the spider, the user is taken to a different site.”1 Jul 2017·Gray et al.Pitcher & PianoPitcher & Piano: Resubscribe Button.“What seems to be the obvious “continue” button is in fact a re-subscribe button. Users may accidentally click this button and resubscribe to what they intended to unsubscribe from.”1 Jul 2017·Gray et al.Relay for Reddit AppRelay for Reddit: Ads.“Ads periodically appear at the bottom of the screen if the user has not paid for the ad-free version. The placement of the ad when it appears is where the “refresh” and “sidebar” buttons are usually located, so the user may accidentally touch the ad out of habit.”1 Jul 2017·Gray et al.AmazonAmazon: Email Unsubscribe Link.““Unsubscribe here” is grayed out in front of a gray background, making it harder to see.”1 Jul 2017·Gray et al.·Obstruction, Visual interference LootcrateLootcrate: Unweighted Options.“Lootcrate highlights the “Keep my subscription” button when unsubscribing in an attempt to get users to click it instead of completing the unsubscribing process.”1 Jun 2017·Gray et al.London Zoo websiteLondon Zoo Website: ZSL Zoo Donation Button.“The green button authorizes an additional donation, while the white back arrow actually continues without the donation”1 Jun 2017·Gray et al.UnknownIncomplete Unsubscribe Process.“How can a user unsubscribe from all mail? The page is very unclear and the user should be able to select multiple options.”15 May 2017·Gray et al.Accuweather appAccuweather App: Trick “X”.“Clicking the “X” to close the ad clicks the “download from the Google Play Store” button, which was not the user’s intention.”14 May 2017·Gray et al.Bdaily.co.ukBdaily.co.uk: Apparent Login.“Very tiny close button makes the user assume they need to login to use the service”5 May 2017·Gray et al.Booking.comBooking.com: Price Misdirection.“The user’s eye is drawn to the large “Total Price” highlighted with a green background. This price; however, does not include the fees listed below in the non-highlighted section. This tricks the user into believing they are paying a lower price than they are.”2 May 2017·Gray et al.Sports DirectSports Direct App: Tiny X.“Large popup ad with tiny “x” button, so the user is more likely to accidentally touch the ad”2 May 2017·Gray et al.RyanairRyan Air: Automatically Agree.“Clicking the continue button automatically agrees to the terms and conditions, but the text that describes this is very small.”2 May 2017·Gray et al.Norwegian AirNorwegian Air: Hidden Unsubscribe.“Uses the same color throughout the page, allowing content to be missed by the user”2 May 2017·Gray et al.DelishDelish: User Shaming.“The site prompts the user to sign up for their newsletter. The option for choosing “no” is smaller and uses a demeaning phrase to make the user feel bad about their choice.”30 Apr 2017·Gray et al.SketchUpSketchUp: Unlabeled Unsubscribe Button.“Unsubscribing from email list requires clicking an unlabeled button.”20 Apr 2017·Gray et al.Better Working WorldBetter Working World: Forced Cookies.“The user is forced to accept the use of cookies on the site or they cannot continue.”13 Apr 2017·Gray et al.·Forced action WiredWired.co.uk: Trick Check Boxes.“Some check boxes are opt-in while others are opt-out, thus tricking users that skim the fine print.”10 Apr 2017·Gray et al.·Preselection, Visual interference YahooYahoo: Distraction While Changing Security Settings.Yahoo distracts users that are updating their security preferences with a huge ad.10 Apr 2017·Gray et al.IntuitTurbo Tax: Pretending to Delete Information.“TurboTax pretends to delete your past information when you don’t upgrade to premium.”9 Apr 2017·Gray et al.rac.co.ukrac.co.uk: Hidden Option for Information Sharing.“User must select “More info” to be able to opt out of sharing information and email spam.”6 Apr 2017·Gray et al.·Preselection UnknownConfusing Wording.“The site has the user select confusing options for what they actually want to do. OK proceeds to cancel the order, and cancel returns to the order.”6 Apr 2017·Gray et al.·Trick wording Delta AirlinesDelta: Deceiving Upgrade.“Delta makes upgrading to first class or higher look like a mandatory option.”6 Apr 2017·Gray et al.PostOffice.co.ukPostoffice.co.uk: Check Boxes Look Like Radio Buttons.“The site designs the check boxes to appear as radio buttons so the user is more inclined to select only one.”6 Apr 2017·Gray et al.·Preselection Codemasters.comCodemasters.com: Double Negative in Checkbox.“Trick question using a double negative might maker the user share information they didn’t want to”6 Apr 2017·Gray et al.·Trick wording VirginVirgin: Preselection for Subscription.“Unless the user reads the fine print, they may unwillingly sign up for email notifications and more.”6 Apr 2017·Gray et al.·Preselection FacebookFacebook: “Ghost” Stories.“Instead of the usual blank stories section, Facebook includes “ghost stories” of your friends that haven’t posted a story in a while when there are no stories available. When the user clicks on it it tells the user that your friend hasn’t posted to their story in a while.”5 Apr 2017·Gray et al.AmazonAmazon: Deceptive Ratings.“Amazon doesn’t actually show the real average in their star ratings on products, they use machine learning to calculate the ratings while taking into account certain factors.”3 Apr 2017·Gray et al.UberUber: Driver Manipulation.“When a driver tries to stop for the day, the Uber app prompts them to continue in order to achieve an arbitrary “goal” for the day. It even goes so far as to highlight the “keep driving” option to make selecting it easier.”2 Apr 2017·Gray et al.SpotifySpotify: Private Mode Temporary.“Spotify offers an opt-in private mode, but requires the user to re-up every 6 hours.”26 Mar 2017·Gray et al.PyrexPyrex: Emotional Manipulation.“Pyrex tries to get the user to subscribe to their mailing list by making the user click on a shameful option if they do not wish to. What if the user already subscribes to this service?”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming FacebookFacebook: Emotional Manipulation.“Instead of letting users simply deactivate their account, Facebook shows users some of their friends that “would miss them” and also tries to convince the user to stay offering a counter-argument to whatever reason they select.”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming EmployUsEmployUs: Emotional Manipulation.“The site tries to get users to get a demo, but the alternate option appears to be disabled. It also only links to monster.com, which is a job finding site. So if users don’t want to use their service, they can find a job on monster.com instead.”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming Popular MechanicsPopular Mechanics: Emotional Manipulation.“Popular Mechanics tries to get users to subscribe to their email list by making them click on a shameful response if they don’t want to. What is users are already subscribed?”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming EsquireEsquire: Emotional Manipulation.“Esquire attempts to make users feel bad about their decision by making them click a button that says “I don’t read” instead of the usual “No, thanks” button”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Preselection, Confirmshaming Report GardenReport Garden: Emotional Manipulation.“Report Garden tries to get the user to subscribe to their mailing list by making the user click on a shameful option if they do not wish to. What if the user already subscribes to this service?”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming InvestopediaInvestopedia: Emotional Manipulation.“Tries to get the user to subscribe to their mailing list by making the user click on a shameful option if they do not wish to. What if the user already subscribes to this service?”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming theskimm.comThe Skimm: Emotional Manipulation.“The site uses shaming to convince users that they would be better off using their service. The site tries to make the user feel bad for choosing an option the site deems “bad”. What if the user already uses the service? They would still have to click the shameful response.”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming Marie ClaireMarie Claire: Emotional Manipulation.“Tries to get the user to subscribe to their mailing list by making the user click on a shameful option if they do not wish to. What if the user already subscribes to this service?”23 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming Turntable.fmTurntable.fm: Gamification.“The site tries to get users to use the site more by making the experience better for those with more popularity or experience. Possible dark pattern aimed towards casual users.”22 Mar 2017·Gray et al.AppleApple: No “No” Option.“There is no option to select no, there are only options to “try now” or “later.””10 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Forced action Spectacles.comSpectacles.com: Fake Countdown Timer.“The site uses a fake countdown timer that only loops when it reaches zero to pressure the user into buying.”10 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Fake urgency ZyngaZynga.com: Unsubscribe hidden as white on white.“The “Unsubscribe here” link is hidden as white text on a white background.”10 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Visual interference YahooYahoo: Confusing Unsubscribe.“Yahoo uses confusing options when trying to unsubscribe from their newsletter.”9 Mar 2017·Gray et al.·Hard to cancel DribbleDribble: False Ticket Scarcity.“Dribble shows a likely fake animation of tickets for concerts selling out quickly, to panic users into buying a ticket as soon as possible, while simultaneously warning them that “less than 1% of tickets left” and that some amount of users are currently viewing the event”7 Mar 2017·Gray et al.Southern RailSouthern Rail has a UX problem“This 2017 article by @DannyJeremiah is still highly relevant. “Southern Rail has a UX Problem” - on the ‘dark patterns’ and deception in ticket vending machine design.”5 Mar 2017·Danny Jeremiah TwitterTwitter: Bully Time-out.“Twitter gives a “time out” to users that have been deemed “abusive” or “bullies”. The time out doesn’t disable their account, it only makes their posts limited to be seen by their followers during the time limit.”16 Feb 2017·Gray et al.MyMLB.comMyMLB.com: Unclear Instructions to Unsubscribe.“The instructions for the user to unsubscribe are very unclear because there is only a “back” and a “cancel” button available. How is a user able to proceed with unsubscribing?”15 Feb 2017·Gray et al.Oracle's JavaJava: Update also changes default search engine.“When setting up java, the preselected “recommended” option actually changed the user’s default search engine to yahoo, which the user might not want. It also changes your homepage to yahoo.com.”11 Feb 2017·Gray et al.·Preselection Survey MonkeySurvey Monkey: Can’t Alter Choice.“Once the user selects “annual” from an initial drop down box, the drop down box disappears and the user’s choice is solidified and cannot be changed unless the user goes back.”7 Feb 2017·Gray et al.AppleOSX: Nagging for Use of iCloud.“OSX warns its user that disk space is almost full and that they should optimize their storage space. When the user chooses to optimize storage, it pushes the use of iCloud on the user.”2 Feb 2017·Gray et al.·Nagging UberUber: Information Not Deleted From Cloud.“When the user tries to delete the app, Uber warns that while the app will delete all data on the phone, it will keep data in the cloud. This is vague, but concerning if the user values their online privacy.”29 Jan 2017·Gray et al.TwitterTwitter: Muscle Memory.“Twitter wanted users to discover their new feature “discover”, so they put it in the location where notifications usually is, so that people would naturally click on the old spot due to muscle memory and discover the new feature.”27 Jan 2017·Gray et al.SalesforceSalesforce: Unsubscribe, but Sell Identity.“Salesforce requires users to consent to a privacy statement before they can successfully unsubscribe from their newsletter. The privacy statement gives consent to sell the user’s information to other countries.”24 Jan 2017·Gray et al.Oracle's JavaJava: Hidden Ad Suppression.“Java hides the option to suppress sponsor ads deep in their menu under the advanced section at the very bottom. It seems that they were trying to hide this feature so that users wouldn’t be able to find it easily and disable it.”18 Jan 2017·Gray et al.·Obstruction SlingSling: Difficult Unsubscribe.“Sling makes it difficult to unsubscribe from their newsletter and makes the user go through 5 pages of “Are you sure?”s and dark patterns like misdirection of buttons.”13 Jan 2017·Gray et al.·Hard to cancel SHAREitSHAREit: Emotional Manipulation.“The site attempts to evoke empathy in the user for the sad phone that doesn’t want them to leave. Some users may be susceptible to this emotional appeal while others may not be.”9 Jan 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming GetResponse.comGetResponse.com: Emotional Manipulation.“This site shames the user into staying on the site by presenting the user with a sad, crying cartoon that wants the user to stay.”9 Jan 2017·Gray et al.·Confirmshaming MicrosoftMicrosoft Admits It “Went Too Far” with Aggressive Windows 10 Updates.“One particular moment that fueled all this criticism was when Microsoft changed the behavior of the X button in the Get Windows 10 app, as clicking this button no longer canceled the upgrade, but ignored the setting and prepared the install in the background.”23 Dec 2016·Popa, Bogdan Hotels.comHotels.com: Hidden Costs (Taxes and “Fees”).“The room is advertised as an $86.43 room. This entices users into using the site to purchase a hotel; however, the final price after taxes and fees of $132.34 (higher than the hotel cost) is $218.77! The site should not advertise for $86 if the total is 250% of that!”17 Dec 2016·Gray et al.·Hidden Costs Candy CrushCandy Crush Saga: Impossible Levels.“The game occasionally gives players levels that are impossible to complete in order to urge them to buy powerups or extra lives. If the player doesn’t purchase anything from the game, it will slowly decrease the difficulty in order to retain playability.”9 Nov 2016·Gray et al.FacebookFacebook’s Notification Dark Pattern.“There’s a red exclamation mark indicating something is wrong with my Notification Settings. The copy […] implies that Facebook Messenger isn’t allowed to use iOS’ notification system. […] But the iOS notifications setting screen […] show that Facebook Messenger does have access to the iOS notifications system - I just don’t have it set up the way Facebook wants me to.""1 Nov 2016·Chris Enns LeadclickF.T.C. v. Leadclick Media, LLC 838 F.3d 158 (2016)“LeadClick was an internet advertising company, and its key customer was LeanSpa, an internet retailer that sold weight-loss and colon-cleanse products. […] Many of the advertisements it placed purported to be online news articles but they were in fact ads for LeanSpa’s products. […] The Second Circuit thought it was self-evident that these techniques were unlawfully deceptive” (Summary from Luguri & Strahilevitz, 2019)23 Sept 2016 AirshipUrbanAirship re-subscribe trickery.“Urbanairship makes it easy to resubscribe to a mailing list you’ve just unsubscribed to.”19 Sept 2016·low_key G2A ShieldG2A Shield: Difficult Unsubscribe.“Attempts every trick in the book to keep user from unsubscribing, from manipulinks to offering a discount if they stay. End result is a 100-click unsubscribe process.”2 Jun 2016·Gray et al.Boston GlobeBoston Globe: Hard to Cancel Subscription.“The user must go to the FAQ to find out how to cancel an account, which requires calling the Boston Globe by phone.”24 Apr 2016·Gray et al.·Hard to cancel Boston GlobeBoston Globe: Hard to Find Cost.“When a user creates an account on Boston Globe, the email subscription checkboxes are already checked, and the “Price Today” is not the price paid in the future. To find the future price, the user must go to the FAQ section of the website”24 Apr 2016·Gray et al.·Obstruction Boston GlobeBoston Globe: Misleading Subscription Cost.“On any page, there is a non-removable banner that claims the user can subscribe for only 99 cents per week, but if you follow the process to subscribe, the user finds out that this price only lasts for 4 weeks”24 Apr 2016·Gray et al.Two DotsTwo Dots: Muscle Memory.“The similarity of the colour and location of the ‘start’ and ‘buy more moves’ buttons means that as users develop muscle memory in response to constantly restarting the game, they may accidentally click on the option to buy more moves when they run out.”1 Oct 2015·Gray et al.Stamps.comStamps.com: Call To Close.“Stamps.com makes it difficult to close an account on their site by requiring the user to call a phone number during business hours to do so. They also hide this information on their site in the FAQs section to make it difficult to find out how to cancel the service.”1 Oct 2015·Gray et al.·Obstruction Hillary For AmericaHillary For America: Difficult to Find Unsubscribe Link.“Unsubscribe link is buried in a paragraph of small text, and leads to an unpictured landing page that requires the user to re-enter their Email address to unsubscribe instead of pausing the subscription for 30 days.”21 Sept 2015·Gray et al.·Obstruction Bunzai Media GroupF.T.C. v. Bunzai Media Group, Case No. CV 15-4527-GW(PLAx), First Amended Complaint for Permanent Injunction and Other Equitable Relief, (C.D. Cal. Oct. 9, 2015)""A case in which the F.T.C. secured a settlement of upwards of $73 million after alleging both deceptive and unfair practices. […] the F.T.C. asserted that the defendants’ skin-care companies were using a host of dark patterns” (Summary from Luguri & Strahilevitz, 2019)”10 Sept 2015 TinderTinder: Pay to Undo.“When users say “no” to multiple people in a row, they are more likely to say “no” when they mean to say “yes”. Tinder takes advantage of this by making the user pay to undo their mistake.”1 Sept 2015·Gray et al.LinkedinAfter Lawsuit Settlement, LinkedIn’s Dishonest Design Is Now A $13 Million Problem.“If you’ve ever signed up, or even known anyone who has signed up, for LinkedIn, you’ve probably been on the receiving end of dozens of follow-up emails, inviting you to “expand your professional network.” These messages are virtually impossible to opt-out of.”10 May 2015·Brownlee, John·Preselection DoostangDoostang: Default to Premium Payment.“On their signup page, Doostang defaults to the basic Premium plan in an attempt to get users to accidentally sign up for their premium service. A more ethical design would simply default to no selection so the user can decide what they want to select for themselves.”19 Mar 2015·Gray et al.GoogleGoogle Location Services: Spam.“Repeatedly asks user for permission to use location data, only allowing “don’t show me again” to be selected if permission is given, pestering the user until they give permission.”9 Mar 2015·Gray et al.·Nagging TuneupTuneup: Deceptive installation options.“Tuneup tries something sneaky (gray text is clickable)”3 Feb 2015·u/solidwhetstone·Sneaking Dungeon KeeperDungeon Keeper: Rating System.“When giving anything other than a five-star rating, the user is given a compulsory prompt to message the developers which dissuades users from bothering to rate anything less than five stars, if they rate anything at all.”28 Aug 2014·Gray et al.FarmVilleFarmVille: Friend Spam.“The game pressues users to invite friends, not because the game is fun, but because certain features/goals are useless/unaccessible without online friends also playing, in what the paper in this list calls a “Social Pyramid Scheme”.”2 Aug 2014·Gray et al.LinkedinLinkedIn Dark Patterns.“A detailed analysis of Linkedin’s deceptive practices, relating to the Perkins v. Linkedin Corp. lawsuit.”5 Jun 2014·Schlosser, Dan Sports DirectSports Direct: Sneak into Basket.“Sports Direct sneaks an item into the customers cart when they go to checkout. To remove it, the user must click “back to bag”, where the sneaked-in item will appear – even though it didn’t before.”21 Oct 2013·Gray et al.·Sneaking Experts ExchangeExpert’s Exchange: Fake Paywall.“The site makes it appear that the answer to the question is behind a paywall, but it is really at the bottom of the page, which is accessible without paying. The website is trying to trick users into paying for a subscription.”29 Aug 2013·Gray et al.Royal Mail GroupRoyal Mail: Trick Tick Boxes.“The first set of tick boxes corresponds to means through which the user does not want to receive information, while the second set corresponds to means through which they do wish to receive information. A user could easily be tricked into signing up for a service they don’t want.”29 Aug 2013·Gray et al.Royal Mail GroupDark Patterns: inside the interfaces designed to trick youAn early article written about Dark Patterns in 2013. 29 Aug 2013·Harry Brignull·Trick wording JustFabJust Fab: Membership Upon Purchase.“The user can unknowingly sign up for a membership to the site when they purchase something unless they read the fine print in the terms and conditions”23 Jul 2013·Gray et al.·Visual interference NextNext.co.uk: Default Subcription“The radio button for a free next directory is already checked, but if the user doesn’t read the fine print they will unknowingly consent to a credit check and having a credit account opened, which sends brochures 4x a year at a cost of £3.75 each.”23 Jul 2013·UXP2 Lab·Preselection, Visual interference AppleThe slippery slopeA presentation by Harry Brignull on Dark Patterns. Includes examples from Apple, Post-office.co.uk, Royal Mail, Santander, Quora, Twitter, The Ladders, JustFab, Next.co.uk and M&S.23 Jul 2013·Harry Brignull·Trick wording, Preselection QuoraQuora: Automatic Opt-In.“Opting in to marketing emails is in the terms and conditions, the user doesn’t have a choice”23 Jul 2013·Gray et al.Paint.netPaint.net: Download Button Ad.“This is an ad designed to look like a download button for the software that site visitors are trying to access.”5 Mar 2013·Gray et al.WuploadWupload: “Premium” Download Speeds.The download site wupload tries to get users to buy “premium” download speeds, and also includes links to a “Make money” ad scheme.30 Oct 2011·Gray et al.MicrosoftWindows 10: Forced Update.“When an update is available, the user is unable to shutdown or restart their operating system without updating.”1 Oct 2010·Gray et al.RyanairDark Patterns: User Interfaces Designed to Trick People (Video of Conference Presentation)The original presentation that started it all13 Sept 2010·Harry Brignull AOLConsumer records themselves attempting to cancel their AOL account.In this old clip from 2006, a consumer attempts to persuade an AOL customer services rep to allow them to cancel their account. The rep makes it very difficult. 1 Jan 2006·Unknown·Hard to cancel Nazi GermanyNational Socialist Germany: Anschluss of Austria Ballot.“The text on this voting ballot from 1938 reads asks a question for which the voter is presented with a large circle labelled “Yes”, and a smaller “No”. The circle size discrepancy is a dark pattern, as is the joining of two very separate questions into one answer in the ballot text.”10 Apr 1938·Gray et al.

Google

Google Demands You Surrender Private Data!

Author

Disco425

Date

22 Jun 2026

Type

Nagging

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