Dark patterns, also known as deceptive design or deceptive patterns, are essentially tricks. Websites and apps use dark patterns to manipulate users into making decisions they wouldn’t have otherwise ...

Signing up for a paid online service takes fewer steps than canceling a subscription, and Unsubscribe links in newsletters are tiny and at the bottom. Also, some shopping sites have countdown timers ...

It is easier to acquire computing power today than it ever has been – but are we consuming it in a beneficial manner? This question has stuck in my mind ever since AWS re:Invent, when it was announced ...

If you’ve ever found yourself struggling to cancel an online subscription, or to deactivate an account on a website, you may have fallen prey to ‘dark patterns’. The Advertising Standards Authority ...

Navigating the virtual marketplace has become an integral part of the consumer experience in the digital age. Lurking behind the convenience and accessibility of e-commerce websites, however, lies a ...

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated. These are just a few examples of “dark ...

While these deceptive practices may offer short-term gains for companies, they ultimately undermine consumer trust and can lead to significant legal repercussions. In the increasingly digital world, ...

“Dark patterns” have increasingly been the focus of legislative and regulatory scrutiny. Yet the phrase is never used in business. No business designs a website, mobile app, or business process with ...

At the end of 2025, millions of Americans started receiving small payments, usually under $51, with the note “Amazon FTC ...

Dark patterns are designs that intentionally manipulate user behavior, typically used to encourage users to spend or engage more than they intended. Wilson cites common examples such as hotel booking ...

Nick is a Features author who's been writing for fellow tech geeks since 2011. While he's mostly focused on phones, he's also thrilled by cameras and audio gear of all shapes and sizes. On weekends, ...