In today's publication, we will focus on an issue that is referred to as 'dark patterns'. We will also explain what exactly is hidden under this mysterious phrase. We will answer the question of what steps have been taken to combat dark patterns. We will also point out what are examples of practices that we can call dark patterns.

What are dark patterns?

Tytułem wstępu należy wyjaśnić, czym właściwie są dark patterns. Otóż dark patterns to nic innego jak wprowadzanie użytkowników internetowych w błąd lub zmuszanie użytkowników do podejmowania konkretnych działań poprzez manipulowanie interfejsami na platformach i stronach internetowych. Brzmi dość tajemniczo, ale oznacza to po prostu celowe wprowadzanie w błąd użytkowników, aby uzyskać określone jego działanie. Najczęściej chodzi o dokonanie wyboru, który spowoduje zakup po możliwie najwyższej cenie, zapisanie się na subskrypcję, utrudnianie możliwości wypisania się z niej etc. Są to działania, które stoją w opozycji do szeroko rozumianych zasad etyki oraz często w opozycji do obowiązujących przepisów prawa.

Examples of dark patterns.

Examples of dark patterns include:

  • forcing a decision by using phrases such as "I resign from additional insurance and accept that I will not receive compensation in the event of an accident";
  • overlapping of adverts on a website, as a result of which, the user is most often forced to click on the ad even though he or she had no intention of doing so;
  • impeded opportunities related to unsubscribing from newsletters;
  • the automatic filling in of forms on web pages with marked items that the user had no intention of marking. In such situations, the user is forced to manually 'un-click' the previously automatically marked items;
  • a number of other interventions which, through manipulation, aim to influence the user and compel him/her to perform certain actions/deeds.

EU regulations against dark patterns.

An example of a legal regulation that targets dark patterns activities includes the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data and repealing Directive 95/46/EC (RODO). Platforms are obliged under the provisions of the RODO to clearly inform users of their data protection practices and must obtain their prior consent to the processing of their personal data. At this point, it is also important to point out that activities related to the use of dark patterns may also violate our national laws, in particular the provisions of the Act on Counteracting Unfair Market Practices, the regulations of which are also aimed at counteracting practices related to dark patterns.

The use of dark patterns means first and foremost that the platform or site loses credibility and trust with the client.

A platform that decides to use dark patterns must expect negative consequences that will not be easy to rectify in the future. A user's trust in a particular service, website, application or online platform is often lost irretrievably. Once misled, users will remember that they were misled on that particular website and will certainly not return to follow it or read its content. Unfair market practices sooner or later mean highly negative consequences for any dishonest owner of a platform, website or web service.

In an era of such rapid development of online structures, with websites proliferating daily, credibility and reliability are particularly important qualities that any self-respecting platform, online shop, app or website of any (without exception) e-commerce business should possess.

Legal basis:

Act of 23 August 2007 on counteracting unfair market practices (Journal of Laws 2023, item 845) and RODO.