Dark Patterns: What They Are, Why You Should Worry, How To Stay Safe

New Delhi:

‘Beware dark patterns for they lead you into temptation and maketh you spend money…’

This sounds like a cheesy fantasy movie. But what it really is, is a cautionary tale for the cyber age, a warning for the digitally unwary as they swipe through the world of e-shopping, dazzled by discounts and gobsmacked by giveaways till they, quite literally in some cases, can’t get out.

Welcome to the murky world of dark patterns, a grey area between right and wrong full of tricks, half-truths, and outright lies to get you to buy goods you don’t need or want, sign up for services you have no interest in, and, most importantly, to keep you hooked and spending money.

The idea of a dark pattern is not new; in fact, it was called out in 2010 by Harry Brignull, a user experience, or UX, designer, who has since written a book ‘Deceptive Patterns’ on the subject.

Brignull defines ‘dark’ or ‘deceptive’ patterns as “tricks used in websites and apps that make you do things that you didn’t mean to, like buying or signing up for something…”