[News Terms] Deceptive Design 'Dark Pattern'

Beware of Apps and Websites That Deceive Consumers for Profit

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Dark Pattern refers to a user interface (UI) cleverly designed to deceive users. It involves providing services for free or at a discounted price on websites such as applications (apps) or shopping malls, then automatically charging users without prior notice. Because it deceives consumers in this way, Dark Pattern is also called 'deceptive design.'

Another example of such deceptive design is adjusting the font size of terms and conditions to prevent consumers from making proper judgments. For instance, options favorable to the business are displayed in large fonts and bright colors to be easily visible, while options unfavorable to consumers are made less noticeable.

There are also apps that set 'marketing alarm reception' as the default and continuously send messages. According to data from the Korea Consumer Agency, the number of consumer damage consultations related to dark patterns increased from 36 cases in 2017 to 51 cases (42%) in 2021. By type of damage, automatic payments against the consumer's will were the most frequent with 97 cases. Other cases included obstruction of cancellation of online content usage (80 cases), failure to properly display the total price (16 cases), and pressure sales that induce consumers to impulsively purchase by claiming only one product is left (11 cases).

On the other hand, remedies for dark pattern damages were only 22 cases during the same period, accounting for just 10% of the total damage consultations. A representative from the Consumer Agency explained, "Dark patterns are characterized by exploiting information asymmetry and information restrictions so that consumers cannot make independent and autonomous decisions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.