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Fighting dark patterns - regain your free will online
How regulators are tackling dark patterns? Discussion with Dries Cuijpers.
In early 2023, the European Commission and national consumer protection authorities (the “CPC network”) screened 399 online shops. They only focused on 3 specific types of dark patterns: fake countdown timers; interfaces designed to lead consumers to purchases or subscriptions; and hidden information. Even on such a narrow basis, their investigation showed that 148 sites contained at least one of these three dark patterns. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) also conducted a sweep in 2023, during which they automatically detected a specific type of dark pattern: countdown timers. Results showed dozens of infringements, just on this one type of deceptive design.
In today’s episod, Marie Potel speaks with Dries Cuijpers, Senior Enforcement Official and coordinator of the Digital Economy at the Consumer Division of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets. Dries has 20 years of experience as an enforcement official in numerous economic sectors. He set up ACM’s Behavioural Insights Team and managed the team for the first 5 years, he has worked for the OECD on consumer policy and he is a co-author of ACM’s Guidelines on the Protection of the Online Consumer.
What type of harms are caused by dark patterns, from a regulator point of view? How is the Dutch authority tackling this issue? What’s the future of regulation on deception and manipulation around the world? Let’s talk about it here and now!
To go further :
Have a question or need some support? Visit us at fairpatterns.com and follow us on LinkedIn: FairPatterns!
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12. Safeguarding Children’s Privacy: Insights and Challenges with Jennifer M. Dolan
32:16||Ep. 12In this episode of "Fair Patterns: Regain Your Freedom Online," we are joined by Jennifer Dolan, Assistant Commissioner at the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), who oversees children's data protection. Jennifer discusses her path to data protection and the unique challenges regulators face in protecting children's privacy online, particularly with the implementation of the GDPR.Jennifer emphasizes the importance of creating child-friendly data protection practices and highlights the dangers of dark patterns—manipulative design tactics that can mislead children into sharing more personal information than necessary. She advocates for greater transparency and education to help children understand their data rights and navigate the online world safely.The episode also explores the need for collaboration among regulators, digital service providers, educators, and parents to improve children's digital literacy and safety online. Jennifer shares her vision for the future, where digital services are designed with children's rights in mind, creating a safer, more empowering online environment for young users.11. Dark Patterns and Young Minds: Claire Quinn's Take on Online Safety
35:43||Ep. 11In this episode of "Fair Patterns: Regain Your Freedom Online," we are joined by Claire Quinn, Chief Privacy Officer at Privo and former Chief of Safety at WeWorld. Claire shares her extensive experience in privacy, security, and child protection online, tracing her career from the early days of the internet to her current role. She discusses the evolution of online safety measures, emphasizing the importance of privacy and safety by design.Claire offers insights into the challenges of balancing protection and empowerment for minors, explaining how online harms have often outweighed benefits. She highlights the critical role of age assurance mechanisms and the complexities surrounding age verification. The conversation also covers the impact of dark patterns on children, illustrating how these deceptive design practices exploit their vulnerability.This episode provides a comprehensive look at the ongoing efforts to create a safer digital environment for children, making it a must-listen for anyone concerned with online safety.10. How are businesses navigating the dark patterns maze?
25:07||Ep. 10In this episode of "Fair Patterns: Regain Your Free Will Online," Paavana Kumar, Partner at Davis + Gilbert, and Marie Potel-Saville, Founder of Amurabi & Fair Patterns, engage in a comprehensive discussion about dark patterns and deceptive online practices. Together, they explore the evolving regulatory landscape, focusing on the FTC's guidelines and enforcement actions. They discuss the negative option rule, proposed updates to streamline requirements for subscription programs, and practical steps businesses can take to avoid dark patterns and ensure compliance with regulations. The conversation also addresses the increasing pressure on companies to prioritize consumer well-being over short-term gains and the potential legal repercussions of failing to do so.Furthermore, Paavana and Marie discuss the broader implications of deceptive practices on society and the importance of ethical considerations in digital design and user experience. They emphasize the need for businesses to be transparent about their consumer transparency goals, conduct comprehensive audits of user experiences, and optimize cancellation mechanisms to create a seamless and hassle-free process for consumers.Overall, this episode provides valuable insights into the complexities of the dark patterns maze and offers actionable advice for businesses to navigate the landscape ethically and responsibly.9. What's the future of online manipulation fight? We discuss it with Harry Brignull.
27:05||Ep. 9Where are we currently in the fight against dark patterns? What steps can be taken from different perspectives? This includes understanding the root cause of the widespread online manipulation, as well as the tools and positive trends that can be used to fight it.We discuss these issues with Harry Brignull, who coined the term "dark pattern" and has been exposing deceptive user interfaces since 2010. He manages the website deceptive.design (formerly darkpatterns.org) and has authored the first book on dark patterns.8. Dark Patterns and Digital Freedom Today. A conversation with Cindy Cohn.
26:17||Ep. 8How are dark patterns and deceptive practices impacting fundamental rights such as freedom and privacy? The raise of Ai is exacerbating transparency issues and the potential for AI-powered dark patterns, highlighting the the importance of informed decision-making and the need for individuals to have the ability to enforce their rights.To understand more about it, Marie Potel-Seville sits with Cindy Cohn, Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). From 2000-2015 she served as EFF’s Legal Director as well as its General Counsel. Ms. Cohn first became involved with EFF in 1993, when EFF asked her to serve as the outside lead attorney in Bernstein v. Dept. of Justice, the successful First Amendment challenge to the U.S. export restrictions on cryptography.To go further:EFF Podcast:https://feeds.eff.org/howtofixtheinternetHave a question or need some support? Visit us at fairpatterns.com and follow us on LinkedIn: FairPatterns!6. How might we create a common language on dark patterns? Discussion with Colin Gray.
37:37||Ep. 6Dark patterns go against most UX design principles, yet they are pretty much everywhere. So how is this huge prevalence explained? What is missing in UX designer training to avoid deceptive designs? Is the regulation sufficient to deter companies from using dark patterns? How might we create a common language and hierarchy of dark patterns that aligns differing terminology from scholars and regulators? To discuss the topic, Marie Potel speaks with Colin Gray, Associate Professor at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington and Director of the human computer interaction design program. To go further:"Towards a preliminary ontology of dark patterns knowledge", by Colin Gray, Cristina Santos, Nataliia BielovaHave a question or need some support? Visit us at fairpatterns.com and follow us on LinkedIn: FairPatterns!5. Are dark patterns profitable from an economic standpoint? Discussion with Anastasia Shchepetova and Lirio Barros.
35:25||Ep. 5Traditional economics assumes that as humans, we use all available information, and we process all this information in a purely rational way in order to make an optimal decision. But studies show that in reality, there are serious limits to anyone's ability to process information. Behavioral economics calls these limits « bounded rationality ».Because of these cognitive limitations, the way in which information or choices are presented can have a significant impact on the decisions that individuals make.How behavioral economics can be used by policymakers to design “choice architectures” such that people are promoted to make better decisions? What can economics teach us about how dark patterns work? What are the incentives to switch from dark to fair patterns, from a sheer economic point of view?In this episode, we dive into the economics behind dark patterns with Marie Potel and her guests, Anastasia Shchepetova and Lirio Barros, both consultants in economics and finance at Oxera.To go further : Federal Trade Commission complaint against Amazon.com“Nudge : improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness” by Richard Thaler & Cass Sustein (2009) Have a question or need some support? Visit us at fairpatterns.com and follow us on LinkedIn FairPatterns!4. Dark patterns in digital marketing. Discussion with Raashee Gupta Erry.
25:30||Ep. 4Some people might consider that marketing is some form of manipulation, making it almost impossible for a marketer to do their job without tricking users in one way or another. But in reality, marketers are asked to build experiences that drive trust, conversion, and long-term customer relationships. How can marketers benefit from fighting dark patterns in their daily job, and what do they have to keep in mind to gain user trust? These are the topics discussed in today’s episode with Marie Potel and her guest Raashee Gupta Erry, senior expert in marketing advertising and consumer privacy. 🎧 You heard: An extract of CNBC’s Aaron Ross Sorkin interview of Lina Khan, FTC commissioner, on antitrust regulation and data privacy 💡 To go further: Dark commercial patterns, OECD digital economy papers, oct. 2022, n°336Americans can’t consent to companies’ use of their data, a report from the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, feb. 2023Federal Trade Commission Staff report « Bringing dark patterns to light », sept. 2022 Have a question or need some support? Go to fairpatterns.com or contact Marie Potel on LinkedIn!