'Dark Patterns' Deceiving Consumers... Average of 11.3 Cases in Online Shopping Malls

It has been revealed that 'dark patterns' deceiving consumers are still rampant in online shopping malls. Dark patterns refer to screen layouts that induce consumer misconceptions, mistakes, or irrational spending.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 6th that it identified 429 cases of dark patterns after conducting a survey from April to August on 76 websites and mobile apps of 38 domestic online shopping malls. This averages to 11.3 cases per shopping mall.

The most frequently used types were 'purchase notifications from other consumers' (71 cases), 'use of emotional language' (66 cases), and 'purchase time limit notifications' (57 cases). These types psychologically pressure consumers to make purchases.

There were 188 dark pattern cases that posed a significant risk of causing actual consumer harm. These included 37 cases of 'pre-selection of specific options' where higher-priced products were pre-selected, and 34 cases of 'hidden information' that caused confusion by displaying minimum or maximum purchase quantities during the purchase selection stage.

Other numerous cases included 'bait-and-switch sales' (22 cases), where consumers were lured by low prices but the actual product was unavailable; 'false recommendations' (20 cases), where reviews of products other than the ones consumers intended to buy were displayed; and 'false discounts' (15 cases), where discount information was falsely displayed to induce purchases.

In the case of false discounts, there was an instance where a body lotion priced at 9,410 won was labeled as '1+1' and sold for 26,820 won. The Consumer Agency pointed out that types such as pre-selection of specific options are not currently regulated by law, indicating the need for legal amendments.

Based on the results of this survey, the Consumer Agency plans to recommend that online shopping malls design screens so that consumers can easily understand and select transaction conditions, and implement continuous self-monitoring. Additionally, consumers are urged to carefully check product information displays and precautions before payment when using internet shopping malls.

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