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Deceptive Patterns

@deceptive.design
391 followers 66 following 149 posts

Exposing Deceptive Patterns (aka "Dark Patterns") since 2010. Run by Harry Brignull (founder), Mark Leiser, Christiana Santos & Kosha Doshi. #dpsky

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B. Prendergast @renderg.host · 12/10/2025
" #OneDrive uses #AI to recognize faces in your photos... You can only turn off this setting 3 times a year” via Harry Brignull at @deceptive.design
A screenshot of OneDrive's 'privacy and permissions' configuration menu that reads "OneDrive uses AI to recognize faces in your photos... You can only turn off this setting 3 times a year”
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FJK @iamfjk.bsky.social · 28/06/2025
Harry Brignull(翻訳:髙瀨みどり、監修:長谷川敦士) – ダークパターン 人を欺くデザインの手口と対策 bnn.co.jp/products/978...
bnn.co.jp
ダークパターン 人を欺くデザインの手口と対策
株式会社ビー・エヌ・エヌは2002年に設立した出版社です。デザインする人を増やすこと、作る人を支援することを目指して出版活動を展開しています。
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Mark Evans @onlyrss.org · 26/10/2025
@deceptive.design Here's one for your "catalogue of deception/manipulation manual" etc. This is from a hotel check-in process. The marketing opt-out is hidden behind a "click here" link. And there was me believing that links were meant for navigation 🤔.
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kelly knowles art @kellyknowles.art · 25/07/2025
this shit's on purpose and i hate it so much WHAT STATE IS YOUR TOGGLE IN MOTHER FUCKER? #ux #darkpatterns
A modal for managing cookies on Mastercard's website. It's got a series of tabs for navigating to different cookie types, and the toggle button used to turn them on and off is ambiguously colored so you can't tell if they're enabled or disabled.
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Richi Jennings @richi.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
35 data brokers employed #DarkPatterns to discourage #Californian​s from exercising privacy rights. Hid legally required web pages from Google—so we can’t find them. Senator unhappy, accuses firms of “requiring people to navigate byzantine labyrinths.” In #SBBlogwatch, we join her trisyllabic diss.
securityboulevard.com
Act Surprised: Data Brokers Seem to Scoff at California Privacy Act
Privacy Rights Crushed by robots.txt: Sen. Hassan is on the warpath.
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Ben Sauer @bensauer.net · 05/08/2025
Slow, sarcastic clap for rac.co.uk . Classic roach motel move: can’t cancel the service without calling them. So much self-serve is possible online, but not that. Almost like you can never leave… cc/ @deceptive.design
rac.co.uk
RAC Breakdown Cover & Car Insurance | Route Planner | RAC
Become an RAC member and get trusted breakdown cover – our patrols fix 4/5 on the spot. From servicing & repairs to insurance, we’ll handle all your driving needs.
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 28/07/2025
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Dr Mark Leiser @lawbhoy.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Very happy to share the Table of Contents of my new book, "Dark Patterns, Deceptive Design, and the Law: AI's Hidden Influence on Our Digital Experience" www.bloomsbury.com/uk/dark-patt...
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 01/06/2025
Coming soon. Well done @stribs.bsky.social! rosenfeldmedia.com/books/design...
rosenfeldmedia.com
Design for Privacy | Rosenfeld Media
Living and working online means grappling with the impact of a dizzying array of online privacy issues. Service providers offer opaque explanations for why they need our data and what they’re doing wi...
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design.ethics.code @benbyford.com · 27/04/2025
I really wish companies would ditch the easy subscribe HARD unsubscribe pattern... #darkpattern @deceptive.design whisky-me.com its 2025 guys come on, stop trying to screw us!
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Chris Moran @chrismoranuk.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
“Despite using neutral language that specifically did not mention integrating deceptive design patterns, every single AI-generated web page contained at least one such pattern, with an average of five per page.” www.fastcompany.com/91233844/cha...
fastcompany.com
ChatGPT was tasked with designing a website. The result was as manipulative as you'd expect
In a new study, researchers found that ChatGPT creates websites full of deceptive patterns.
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Chandra Ramanujan @chandrar.bsky.social · 01/04/2024
Hey folks. I’ve been featured in this news article about a #darkpattern in Urban Company (an Indian Startup). Do give it a read if this is interesting for you 🙏 www.ndtv.com/feature/beng...
ndtv.com
Bengaluru Man Criticises Urban Company For 'Dark Subscription' Tactics, App Designer Responds
In his post, he accused Urban Company's app of using
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Patrick Leavy @patrickleavy.mastodon.social.ap.brid.gy · 25/11/2024
#Darkpattern from #Samsung trying to get us to agree to their thieving bullshit in their latest #privacypolicy update. The "I have read and agree" checkbox is not necessary, but it's made to look like it is... #bigtech #tracking #surveillancecapitalism At […] [Original post on mastodon.social]
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Democracy Reporting International @democracyreporting.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
TikTok violated the #DSA - again. We found: 🚨 48 NEW murky accounts impersonating Călin Georgescu 🚨 49 political ads, violating TikTok's own policy They were easy to find. So why wasn’t TikTok proactive⁉️ Details 👉 bit.ly/3OEOUza @stiftungmercator.bsky.social
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 06/12/2024
We are @deceptive.design on Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/deceptive.design
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Pat Walshe - Privacy Matters 🇮🇪🇬🇧🇪🇺 @privacymatters.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
1/ Hey @hf.co NO. You do not have my consent to use my content and personal data to train your AI and ML models. If you believe my consent isn't needed, then I otherwise object. Also, have you deleted the data you obtained from BlueSky huggingface.co/datasets/blu...
huggingface.co
bluesky-community/one-million-bluesky-posts · Datasets at Hugging Face
We’re on a journey to advance and democratize artificial intelligence through open source and open science.
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Shae Revolutions @shae.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Windows 11 is such ass why is my work PC giving me pop up suggestions to buy Black Ops 6
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Pat Walshe - Privacy Matters 🇮🇪🇬🇧🇪🇺 @privacymatters.bsky.social · 27/11/2024
1/ I wonder how many folks joining BlueSky are aware of “The AT Protocol, which Bluesky is built on, is designed to support public conversations” .. bsky.social/about/blog/5... Is scraping their data to train AI acceptable? What rights apply? People want to be social without being ‘public’
bsky.social
Bluesky User FAQ - Bluesky
Welcome to the Bluesky app! This is a user guide that answers some common questions.
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Wolfie Christl @wchr.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
The network technology giant Cisco offers to turn Wi-Fi access points installed in offices and other buildings into a system that tracks the location of employees, customers, smartphones, laptops and other devices for a wide range of purposes #workersurveillance I took a deep dive ⬇️ [thread]
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colin gray @graydesign.bsky.social · 26/11/2024
Great writeup of Veronica Krauss and team’s work on #darkpatterns and #generativeai by @stokel.bsky.social! Such a timely paper and good to see it reaching a broader audience. www.fastcompany.com/91233844/cha...
fastcompany.com
ChatGPT was tasked with designing a website. The result was as manipulative as you'd expect
In a new study, researchers found that ChatGPT creates websites full of deceptive patterns.
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @aoc.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
The Meta thing is interesting because users have been vocally opposed to all these tweaks along the way & they have defended each one w/ metrics+engagement. But when there’s competition, people are moving. It’s a reminder that engagement ≠ enjoyment. Wonder what experts have to say about this ⬇️
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 19/11/2024
Not sure yet, tbh!
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 19/11/2024
Sorry, didn’t want to pay for the hosting costs anymore so it’s gone…
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 19/11/2024
FYI we will be deleting the content from this Twitter account at some point in the next few months, and moving everything that's worth keeping onto It's a shame given the enormous follower numbers we've gained over the years - but times have changed.
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Dr Mike Ward @schroedinger99.bsky.social · 15/10/2024
@deceptivepatterns.bsky.social Hi! Found after buying a railcard from Railcard.co.uk. Attention grabbed by "£20.87 cash back" and "Get your cashback" button. Small print at the bottom hints (but doesn't really make it clear) that you are signing up to have £18.00 pm removed from your card account.
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Pat Walshe - Privacy Matters 🇮🇪🇬🇧🇪🇺 @privacymatters.bsky.social · 26/09/2024
FTC workshop 25 Feb 2025. ‘The Attention Economy: Monopolizing Kids’ Time Online’ “to examine the use of design features on digital platforms aimed at keeping kids, including teens, online longer and coming back more frequently.” www.ftc.gov/news-events/...
ftc.gov
The Attention Economy: Monopolizing Kids’ Time Online
The Federal Trade Commission will hold a virtual workshop on February 25, 2025, to examine the use of design features on digital platforms aimed at keeping kids, including teens, online longer and
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 18/09/2024
“LinkedIn is now using everyone's content to train their AI tool -- they just auto opted everyone in.” - Rachel Tobac (Sep 18, 2024) x.com/RachelTobac/...
“LinkedIn is now using everyone's content to train their Al tool -- they just auto opted everyone in.
I recommend opting out now (AND that orgs put an end to auto opt-in, it's not cool)
Opt out steps: Settings and Privacy > Data Privacy
> Data for Generative Al Improvement (OFF)” - Rachel Tobac (Sep 18, 2024)
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The Washington Post @washingtonpost.com · 17/09/2024
Instagram users under 18 will automatically be subject to limitations on who can message them, how much “sensitive” content is recommended and who can see their profiles.
washingtonpost.com
How to set up monitored ‘teen accounts’ on Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat
Here’s how to set up teen accounts and parental controls on Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube.
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Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 17/09/2024
New: Snapchat is reserving the right to use your own, AI-generated likeness in ads that can then target you. The setting is on by default according to our tests www.404media.co/snapchat-res...
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Áine ☽𖤐☾ @whoa-magic.lol · 18/07/2024
"Catalog of Dark Patterns Discover a variety of dark pattern examples, sorted by category, to better understand deceptive design practices." hallofshame.design/collection/#....
hallofshame.design
Collection of Dark Patterns and Unethical Design
Discover a variety of dark pattern examples, sorted by category, to better understand deceptive design practices.
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Robin Berjon @robin.berjon.com · 18/08/2024
Love this deceptive pattern from Microsoft in which they bundle something many want (listing better jobs) with something else few people care about (ads). Are you ready for the same lack of enforcement with DMA consent that we are getting with the GDPR?
Keep your LinkedIn services, like Jobs, connected?

We've always connected your LinkedIn experience with our services to better tailor what you see and improve our services. When connected, we share data (like your interactions with posts, people, and companies on LinkedIn) between your LinkedIn experience and our services.

Due to a new EU law, you can now choose whether to keep them connected or not.

in Your LinkedIn experience includes your Feed, Messaging, Network, and Search.

Can we continue to connect your LinkedIn experience to the following services?

Jobs: Find jobs with better recommendations, and allow us to improve our services.

Marketing solutions: See ads better tailored to you and your professional interests, and allow measurement and improvement.

Your choice won't affect your access to services, including Jobs, but can impact how tailored they are.

Yes, keep all connected

Connect none

More options
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 28/08/2024
If anyone else is moving over to bluesky, we have an account there too: @deceptivepatterns.bsky.social Please say hi!
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 24/08/2024
Hey folks! We’re the folks who run the website deceptive.design. Trying to reboot our social media thing here on Bluesky. Please say hi and tag us on relevant posts - it’s not easy starting again from zero!
deceptive.design
Deceptive Patterns (aka Dark Patterns) - spreading awareness since 2010
The original website about deceptive patterns (also known as “dark patterns”) - tricks used in websites and apps that make you do things that you didn't mean to, like buying or signing up for somethin...
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 19/08/2024
New, from @pamherd.bsky.social & I: Biden-Harris unveiled an agenda to stop corporations from imposing excessive administrative burdens on the public. Here is what you need to know: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/about-time...
donmoynihan.substack.com
About Time: Biden-Harris Wants Companies to Stop Putting You Through Unnecessary Hassles
How the Burden Reduction Agenda is Evolving
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Bill Bennett @billbennett.bsky.social · 23/08/2024
I don't use Word often, but when I do, it's because I have to. A few days ago I notice the Save function now defaults to OneDrive. I've no idea when that started, but it's NOT what I want and fixing that up every time I save is another unnecessary, but deliberate piece of Microsoft friction.
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 06/08/2024
Meta uses “dark patterns” to thwart AI opt-outs in EU, complaint says EU Facebook users have until June 26 to opt out of AI training. arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2024/06…
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 30/07/2024
Link to case details: law.justia.com/cases/federal/appell…
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 30/07/2024
Please keep an eye out for more deceptive patterns this election season. Take screenshots and share on social media, as they're sometimes deployed to small cohorts (e.g. via an email link) making it hard to monitor.
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 30/07/2024
In Feb 2023, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled in favour of protecting consumers against the preselection deceptive pattern used by WinRed - the donation platform used by the Trump campaign, pictured here. law.justia.com/cases/federal/appell…...
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 18/06/2024
3 minute walkthrough of the Adobe deceptive subscription cancellation experience (aka “dark patterns”) by @harrybr The part about Adobe starts at 3 minutes in. youtu.be/Zmv7cRELFtM?feature=shared
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 16/06/2024
“Show probable spam” Button label, between two posts about cryptocurrency.
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 10/06/2024
“Adobe Swears It’s Not Training Its A.I. on Your Photoshops” BUT… Adobe has not made any changes to its ToS making this claim effectively worthless. slate.com/technology/2024/06/adobe-…
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 09/06/2024
This is Facebook’s confirmation when you ask to see fewer posts of a particular type. “For a while” appears to be shorthand for “our algorithm doesn’t care how you feel about this sort of content, it may decide to show you it again soon and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
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Deceptive Patterns @deceptive.design · 08/06/2024
This video delves into the manipulation of players through engagement-based matchmaking and microtransactions, highlighting how games are designed to control player behaviour. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJG2dli2LTg
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