Dark Patterns – User Interfaces Designed to Trick People [video]
Great video and great website.<p>My only nitpick: the author wants the industry to agree on a &quot;code of ethics.&quot;<p>Unfortunately, such exhortations strike me as naive.  They are unlikely to work, because the truly bad actors will continue to use dark patterns regardless, putting pressure on all other actors to follow suit.  The key challenge is not in getting the good actors to do the right thing, but in preventing the bad actors from doing the wrong thing.<p>Meanwhile, even sophisticated consumers like HN members pay a cognitive or financial cost to deal with dark patterns every day, which are prevalent throughout the web.  Everyone I know is sick and tired of this crap.<p>The only viable solution I can think of is regulation in the form of a consumer-protection agency, working with the industry, that can fine bad actors up the wazoo.<p>Does anyone here have a better suggestion?