Dark patterns

Context: Some Internet-based firms have been tricking users into agreeing to certain conditions or clicking a few links. Such acceptances and clicks are flooding inboxes of the users with promotional emails they never wanted, making it hard to unsubscribe or request deletion. These are examples of “dark patterns,” also known as “deceptive patterns.”

About Dark patterns:

• These patterns are unethical user interface designs that deliberately make users’ Internet experience harder or even exploit them.
• In turn, they benefit the company or platform employing the designs.
• By using dark patterns, digital platforms take away a user’s right to full information about the services they are using and their control over their browsing experience.
• The term is credited to UI/UX (user interface/user experience) researcher and designer Harry Brignull, who has been working to catalogue such patterns and the companies using them since around 2010.

Use of Dark patterns:

• Social media companies and Big Tech firms such as Apple, Amazon, Skype, Facebook, LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Google use dark or deceptive patterns to downgrade the user experience to their advantage.
• In social media, LinkedIn users often receive unsolicited, sponsored messages from influencers.

Concerns about Dark patterns:

• Dark patterns endanger the experience of Internet users and make them more vulnerable to financial and data exploitation by Big Tech firms.
• Disabling this option is a difficult process with multiple steps that require users to be familiar with the platform controls.
• Dark patterns confuse users, introduce online obstacles, make simple tasks time-consuming, and have users sign up for unwanted services/products.

Source:  The Hindu

Previous Year Question

Q.1) Consider the following communication technologies:

1. Closed-circuit Television
2. Radio Frequency Identification
3. Wireless Local Area Network

Which of the above are considered of the Short-Range devices/technologies? (2022)

1. 1 and 2 only
2. 2 and 3 only
3. 1 and 3 only
4. 1, 2 and 3

Q.2) With reference to visible light communication (VLC) technology, which of the following statements are correct? (2020)

1. VLC uses electromagnetic spectrum wavelengths 375 to 780nm
2. VLC is known as long-range optical wireless communication
3. VLC can transmit large amounts of data faster than Bluetooth
4. VLC has no electromagnetic interference

Select the correct answer using the code given below

1. 1, 2 and 3 only
2. 1, 2 and 4 only
3. 1, 3 and 4 only
4. 2, 3 and 4 only