Hall of shame

I tried ticking and unticking the boxes—there's no way to permanently say no to both in @MyFitnessPal.

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.

A perfect example of "weasel wording" from the Google Backup and Sync app preferences.

This is once a #darkpattern : I have to order the newsletter in order to be able to register with #otto_de

@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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

https://consent.yahoo.com/consent shame on you; on big easy button to accept or masses of well buried individual links to reject?

@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...

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?

Square Enix uses trick wording so that some users will unintentionally opt in to marketing communications.

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.

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

Ever looked for an online cancel button and struggled to find it? ‘Dark patterns’ may be to blame (Opinion feature in FT Magazine)

@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

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

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

@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.

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

Hey @lucidchart, are you for real? You seriously want to burn those bridges down with those checkmarks, don't you

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).

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.

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.

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

"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)

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...

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

Site makes customer add item to shopping cart in order to see the price

You can't opt out of this spam from @ThreeUKSupport without signing up to My3.

@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?

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.

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.

No "unsubscribe all"? Really @XINGNews?

~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

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!

Inverse.com: You have to scroll down from the full screen pop up to decline

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.

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.

Imperial War Museum Duxford hides by default the actual price of their tickets in favour of one including a 'voluntary donation'

Yahoo uses trick wording. The button labelled "No, cancel" actually means "cancel the cancellation" and causes the user to stay subscribed.

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

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!

#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.

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.

“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.”

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...

Tumblr account dedicated to examples of confirmshaming.

CodePen circumventing legal "Unsubscribe from mail list" requirements by adding you to 5 separate mail lists.

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.

Reddit's mobile site UI has become even more evil. I don't have the app installed, yet it mimics the Android "Open in X or Y" prompt to try and trick you into installing it. Shame.

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.

Tried cancelling my subscription today...

"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."

Reddit makes it's website difficult to use, in an effort to drive users to use their native mobile apps.

Dropdown list is written so that typing “1” enters in “10”, not “1”.

Facebook switches the style of the "confirm" and "cancel" buttons, which will frequently cause users to mistakenly click the wrong button.

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.

The button is greyed out but works. To trick you into signing up for spam.

There's no clear option to dismiss the donation screen, only "donate" and "donate later" instead of "yes" and "no". Clicking on "donate later" prompts you to give your email address instead of dismissing the screen.

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.

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.

A recent (2018) case involving Dark Patterns. The dispute involved the F.T.C.’s enforcement action against a payday lender that was providing information to lure customers. (Also see Luguri & Strahilevitz, 2019)

Ubisoft requires your personal information to disable third party information sharing on a preexisting account, despite them being in distinct forms.

News article responding to the Norwegian Consumer Council's "Deceived by Design" report.

A 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.

Taringa hides the delete account button behind a padlock icon. I'm not sure if that's a dark pattern or not.

Opting out of Forbes ad cookies makes you wait for a fake progress bar to finish, and takes you back to repeat the process.

Virgin Media uses trick wording to obtain marketing opt-in permission.

Instacart tricks users into sharing their entire address book by emphasising the benign call to action "verify your email address" and by de-emphasising the text stating "we'll also import your contacts..."

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.

@TrustArc Why does your EUPreferenceManger consistenly take exactly 30 seconds to save my opt out cookie preferences? What is it doing?

“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.

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.

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.

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

Want to unsubscribe? Hope you have good vision!

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.

Yelp disguises ads to look similar to customer reviews, and puts them in the same area as reviews are posted.

Unsubscribe link is buried in a mass of fine print and is difficult to find.

The Washington Post has a confusing checkbox when unsubscribing that makes it unclear whether or not the user is unsubscribing from a service.

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.

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.

User has to select “cancel” four times to cancel

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.

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.

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.

The big green button does NOT, in fact, unsubscribe you from emails, the link for that is further down.

The website prompts the user to have it proofread their document, and shames them if they select no

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.

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.

The game uses a purchasable in-game currency to blur users’ recognition of the value they’re transferring.

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.

Unlock limited content by submitting 10 documents or by paying

Defaults to subcription instead of one-time purchase

United distracts the user with two large “No additional charge” boxes, but includes possible baggage fees in small print.

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.