Europe acts against ‘dark patterns’: what are they and are they illegal?

“A hidden online trap”, is how the Belgian government describes ‘dark patterns’. Are these subtle techniques to influence consumers just seduction or really deception? And are they legal?

Nearly all subscription services

Three-quarters of the websites that offer subscriptions, from streaming to meal boxes, use dark patterns influence consumers, the Belgian government concludes in the context of an international study in which 27 consumer and privacy authorities investigated 642 websites worldwide.