Search Results for: dark patterns

Amazon fined almost $8M in Poland over dark patterns

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Poland’s competition and consumer protection watchdog has fined Amazon’s European subsidiary around $8 million (31.9 million Zlotys) for “dark patterns” that messed around internet shoppers. The preliminary ruling applies to Amazon EU SARL, which oversees Amazon’s Polish e-commerce site, Amazon.pl, out of Luxembourg. Poland’s Office of Competition and Consumer Protection said the decision, subject to Read more about Amazon fined almost $8M in Poland over dark patterns[…]

Epic Forced To Pay $520 Million Fine over Fortnite Privacy and Dark Patterns

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Fortnite-maker Epic Games has agreed to pay a massive $520 million fine in settlements with the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly illegally gathering data from children and deploying dark patterns techniques to manipulate users into making unwanted in-game purchases. The fines mark a major regulatory win for the Biden administration’s progressive-minded FTC, who, up until Read more about Epic Forced To Pay $520 Million Fine over Fortnite Privacy and Dark Patterns[…]

California bans website ‘dark patterns’, confusing language when opting out of having your personal info sold

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The rule amendments [PDF], just approved by the American state’s Office of Administrative Law, were proposed last October after a set of initial rules for enforcing the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) were adopted last August, a month after CCPA enforcement began. The CCPA amendments: Clarify that businesses operating offline need to provide a way Read more about California bans website ‘dark patterns’, confusing language when opting out of having your personal info sold[…]

Study of over 11,000 online stores finds ‘dark patterns’ on 1,254 sites

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A large-scale academic study that analyzed more than 53,000 product pages on more than 11,000 online stores found widespread use of user interface “dark patterns”– practices meant to mislead customers into making purchases based on false or misleading information. The study — presented last week at the ACM CSCW 2019 conference — found 1,818 instances Read more about Study of over 11,000 online stores finds ‘dark patterns’ on 1,254 sites[…]

Dark Patterns at Scale: Findings from a Crawl of 11K Shopping Websites (note, there’s lots of them influencing your unconsious to buy!)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Dark patterns are user interface design choices that benefit an online service by coercing, steering, or deceivingusers into making unintended and potentially harmful decisions. We present automated techniques that enableexperts to identify dark patterns on a large set of websites. Using these techniques, we study shoppingwebsites, which often use dark patterns these to influence users Read more about Dark Patterns at Scale: Findings from a Crawl of 11K Shopping Websites (note, there’s lots of them influencing your unconsious to buy!)[…]

Dark Patterns make you do stuff you don’t want to on websites

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Everyone has been there. So in 2010, London-based UX designer Harry Brignull decided he’d document it. Brignull’s website, darkpatterns.org, offers plenty of examples of deliberately confusing or deceptive user interfaces. These dark patterns trick unsuspecting users into a gamut of actions: setting up recurring payments, purchasing items surreptitiously added to a shopping cart, or spamming Read more about Dark Patterns make you do stuff you don’t want to on websites[…]

In-app browsers still a privacy, security, and choice issue

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] Open Web Advocacy (OWA), a group that supports open web standards and fair competition, said in a post on Tuesday that representatives “recently met with both the [EU’s] Digital Markets Act team and the UK’s Market Investigation Reference into Cloud Gaming and Browsers team to discuss how tech giants are subverting users’ choice of Read more about In-app browsers still a privacy, security, and choice issue[…]

The AI Act needs a practical definition of ‘subliminal techniques’ (because those used in Advertising aren’t enough)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

While the draft EU AI Act prohibits harmful ‘subliminal techniques’, it doesn’t define the term – we suggest a broader definition that captures problematic manipulation cases without overburdening regulators or companies, write Juan Pablo Bermúdez, Rune Nyrup, Sebastian Deterding and Rafael A. Calvo. Juan Pablo Bermúdez is a Research Associate at Imperial College London; Rune Read more about The AI Act needs a practical definition of ‘subliminal techniques’ (because those used in Advertising aren’t enough)[…]

Europe’s new DSA and DMA rules for Big Tech in force

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The Act (DSA) sets rules that the EU designed to make very large online platforms (VLOPs) “tackle the spread of illegal content, online disinformation and other societal risks” presented by online service providers.” The DSA and the Digital Market Act (DMA) are a double act. Both were introduced in 2022 and will be implemented in Read more about Europe’s new DSA and DMA rules for Big Tech in force[…]

Google will pay $9.5 million to settle Washington DC AG’s location-tracking lawsuit

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google has agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Washington DC Attorney General Karl Racine, who accused the company earlier this year of “deceiving users and invading their privacy.” Google has also agreed to change some of its practices, primarily concerning how it informs users about collecting, storing and using their Read more about Google will pay $9.5 million to settle Washington DC AG’s location-tracking lawsuit[…]

Australia fines Google $42.5 million over misleading location settings

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Google is being ordered to pay A$60 million ($42.5 million) in penalties to Australia’s competition and national consumer law regulator regarding the collection and use of location data on Android phones. The financial slap on the wrist relates to a period between January 2017 and December 2018 and follows court action by the Australian Competition Read more about Australia fines Google $42.5 million over misleading location settings[…]

European Union passes landmark laws to rein in big tech, but worres about enforcement

Posted on by Robin Edgar

[…] the European Union has passed a pair of landmark bills designed to rein in Big Tech’s power. The Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act are intended to promote fairer competition, improve privacy protection, as well as banning both the use of some of the more egregious forms of targeted advertising and misleading practices. Read more about European Union passes landmark laws to rein in big tech, but worres about enforcement[…]

Six Reasons Why Google Maps Is the Creepiest App On Your Phone

Posted on by Robin Edgar

VICE has highlighted six reasons why Google Maps is the creepiest app on your phone. An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from the report: 1. Google Maps Wants Your Search History: Google’s “Web & App Activity” settings describe how the company collects data, such as user location, to create a faster and “more personalized” experience. Read more about Six Reasons Why Google Maps Is the Creepiest App On Your Phone[…]

The Hype Machine by Sinan Aral: how does social media form our decisions

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Drawing on two decades of his own research and business experience, Aral goes under the hood of the biggest, most powerful social networks to tackle the critical question of just how much social media actually shapes our choices, for better or worse. Aral shows how the tech behind social media offers the same set of behavior-influencing levers to both Russian hackers and brand marketers—to Read more about The Hype Machine by Sinan Aral: how does social media form our decisions[…]

Only 9% of visitors give GDPR consent to be tracked

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Most GDPR consent banner implementations are deliberately engineered to be difficult to use and are full of dark patterns that are illegal according to the law. I wanted to find out how many visitors would engage with a GDPR banner if it were implemented properly and how many would grant consent to their information being Read more about Only 9% of visitors give GDPR consent to be tracked[…]

Facebook, Google, Microsoft scolded for tricking people into spilling their private info

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Five consumer privacy groups have asked the European Data Protection Board to investigate how Facebook, Google, and Microsoft design their software to see whether it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Essentially, the tech giants are accused of crafting their user interfaces so that netizens are fooled into clicking away their privacy, and Read more about Facebook, Google, Microsoft scolded for tricking people into spilling their private info[…]

AI discovers new nanostructures, reduces experiment time from months to hours

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have successfully demonstrated that autonomous methods can discover new materials. The artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technique led to the discovery of three new nanostructures, including a first-of-its-kind nanoscale “ladder.” The research was published today in Science Advances.. The newly discovered structures were formed by a Read more about AI discovers new nanostructures, reduces experiment time from months to hours[…]

Startup Claims It’s Sending Sulfur Into the Atmosphere to Fight Climate Change

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A startup says it has begun releasing sulfur particles into Earth’s atmosphere, in a controversial attempt to combat climate change by deflecting sunlight. Make Sunsets, a company that sells carbon offset “cooling credits” for $10 each, is banking on solar geoengineering to cool down the planet and fill its coffers. The startup claims it has Read more about Startup Claims It’s Sending Sulfur Into the Atmosphere to Fight Climate Change[…]

The Worst Passwords in the Last Decade (And New Ones You Shouldn’t Use)

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Have you immortalized your beloved dog, Charlie, in all of your online passwords? While he may be tasked to protect your home (or at least his food bowl), your heartfelt dedication might actually be compromising your digital safety. Many passwords believed to be deeply personal to you are, in fact, quite common – making them Read more about The Worst Passwords in the Last Decade (And New Ones You Shouldn’t Use)[…]

Sloan Digital Sky Surver releases biggest 3D map of the universe

Posted on by Robin Edgar

An international consortium has compiled the most comprehensive 3D map of the observable cosmos to date, significantly improving our understanding of cosmological history while raising new questions about the fundamental laws that govern the universe. The updated map, made from data gathered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), offers a detailed history of the Read more about Sloan Digital Sky Surver releases biggest 3D map of the universe[…]

New study detects global atmosphere rings like a bell

Posted on by Robin Edgar

A ringing bell vibrates simultaneously at a low-pitched fundamental tone and at many higher-pitched overtones, producing a pleasant musical sound. A recent study, just published in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences by scientists at Kyoto University and the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, shows that the Earth’s entire atmosphere vibrates in an analogous manner, in a Read more about New study detects global atmosphere rings like a bell[…]

Obscure Indian cyber firm spied on politicians, investors worldwide

Posted on by Robin Edgar

New Delhi-based BellTroX InfoTech Services targeted government officials in Europe, gambling tycoons in the Bahamas, and well-known investors in the United States including private equity giant KKR and short seller Muddy Waters, according to three former employees, outside researchers, and a trail of online evidence. Aspects of BellTroX’s hacking spree aimed at American targets are Read more about Obscure Indian cyber firm spied on politicians, investors worldwide[…]

DHS expects to have detailed biometrics on 260 million people by 2022 – and will keep them in the cloud, where they will never be stolen or hacked *cough*

Posted on by Robin Edgar

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expects to have face, fingerprint, and iris scans of at least 259 million people in its biometrics database by 2022, according to a recent presentation from the agency’s Office of Procurement Operations reviewed by Quartz. That’s about 40 million more than the agency’s 2017 projections, which estimated 220 Read more about DHS expects to have detailed biometrics on 260 million people by 2022 – and will keep them in the cloud, where they will never be stolen or hacked *cough*[…]

The Creators Of Pokémon Go Mapped The World. Now They’re Mapping You – how companies are monetising your location data

Posted on by Robin Edgar

Today, when you use Wizards Unite or Pokémon Go or any of Niantic’s other apps, your every move is getting documented and stored—up to 13 times a minute, according to the results of a Kotaku investigation. Even players who know that the apps record their location data are usually astonished once they look at just Read more about The Creators Of Pokémon Go Mapped The World. Now They’re Mapping You – how companies are monetising your location data[…]