The SSRC is an independent, international, nonprofit organization. It fosters innovative research, nurtures new generations of social scientists, deepens how inquiry is practiced within and across disciplines, and mobilizes necessary knowledge on important public issues.
Senators Mark Warner (D-Virginia) and Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) have introduced legislation to ban so-called “dark patterns” tactics designed to trick users into handing over access to their data, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Dark patterns, a term first popularized by the website darkpatterns.org, describe everything from UI elements to technical tricks designed to lure users into taking actions they might not otherwise agree to, such as presenting them with in-app purchase buttons or data-sharing agreements designed to appear like more mundane functions. In the video below, UX expert Harry Brignull characterizes it as a kind of catch-all term that also includes things like a “roach motel: a design that makes it very easy for you to get into a situation, but very hard to get out”: One such example is the maze of menus Amazon customers must navigate through to delete their accounts.
If the concept is still a little fuzzy, Dark Patterns runs a Wall of Shame highlighting some of the worst practices.
