Dark patterns are design elements that deliberately obscure, mislead, coerce and/or deceive website visitors into making unintended and possibly harmful choices. Dark patterns can be found in many ...

Over the years many companies have tried all sorts of dark pattern techniques, and some have paid the price, legally speaking, for deceiving their customers. In June 2023 the FTC even set its ...

That is a dark pattern. And, dark patterns are becoming more and more widespread. Because of the pandemic, ecommerce sales last year grew by more than 40%. More than $850 billion dollars annually.

The FTC offered some examples of dark patterns being used on some websites: Online ads that look like editorial content. Hidden fees and charges that don't appear until late in the buying process.

As more commerce moves online, dark patterns, which use deceptive design to dupe consumers, are becoming increasingly common, the F.T.C. said in a report released in September.

At the Federal Trade Commission’s “Bringing Dark Patterns to Light” online workshop April 29, speakers uniformly denounced these deceptive interfaces in apps, services, and sites.