These Are The Shady Tricks Shopping Sites Use To Get Your Money And Info

by MR Magazine Staff

Shopping websites have ways of getting you to do what they want, and the sneakiest design and interface tricks they use are known as “dark patterns.” According to an extensive analysis from Princeton University and the University of Chicago, dark patterns appear on more than 11% of roughly 11,000 shopping sites studied. These patterns are pervasive enough that US lawmakers have proposed a bill to ban certain varieties. But for now dark patterns are perfectly legal, even though they can fool users into giving up personal data, leverage compulsive behaviors in adults and children, and even lead to financial loss. Read more at Quartz.