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In the Media
What Are Dark Patterns? How to Recognize Deceptive UX Design
Day Pitney Partner and Data Privacy, Protection and Litigation practice co-chair William Roberts was recently featured in All About Cookies discussing the growing concern around dark patterns—deceptive UX designs that manipulate user choices. He explores the legal and ethical complexities of regulating these practices, emphasizing how factors like intent, subjectivity, and user expectations make enforcement challenging. Roberts also draws attention to the outsized impact dark patterns have on vulnerable populations and stresses the importance of transparent, user-centric design that fosters trust.
He notes, “The dark patterns that are most effective or hardest to detect are often the ones that feel ‘normal’ because they have become widespread."
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