A new study has shown that subscription services use “dark patterns” to manipulate users. They’ve been shown to influence customer behavior regarding subscribing to the services and sharing personal data. This isn’t surprising, as these services live and die based on getting and retaining subscribers, but it’s still a little concerning to see how much it happens.
The reports come from the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) and the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN). The ICPEN reviewed 642 websites and mobile apps with subscriptions and found that one dark pattern was used in almost 76% of the platforms. Some services used multiple dark patterns, with 68% of websites and apps using more than one.
The potential dark patterns most often encountered during the review were sneaking practices, which involve hiding or delaying the disclosure of information that might affect a consumer’s purchase decision, and interface interference, techniques such as obscuring important information or preselecting options that frame information in a way that steers consumers toward making decisions more favorable for the business.
ICPEN
The most used dark pattern is sneaking, where a company makes potentially damaging information hard to find. For example, the ICPEN report found that 81% of the services with automatic subscription renewal removed the ability to disable auto-renewal during purchase. That means there’s an extra step to remove it after the fact; presumably, the services hope the customer forgets.
Outside of tricks to lock you into subscribing for an extended period, the GPEN did some testing to see how personal information is extracted. It found that almost every one of the 1,000 websites and apps tested used a deceptive design practice to get user info.
A dark pattern often used to get users to agree to give up their information is Interface interference. In total, 57% of the websites and apps made the least protective privacy option the easiest to choose, essentially manipulating the interface to steer users in the desired direction.
How to stay safe
Between getting locked into subscriptions and giving up more information than needed, it’s easy to fall for these traps.
When you sign up for something, ensure you know how to cancel the service before committing to anything. Even if there’s no option to opt out of auto-renewal during the signup process, be sure to find out how to cancel if you don’t want it later.
Also, please take a moment to read the requests for personal information to determine what you need to give up and what they’re tricking you into thinking you need to give up.
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