The Department of Consumer Affairs shared the draft
“Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns,
2023” on September 6, 2023, which will be implemented the day
they are notified in the Official Gazette. The Department of
Consumer Affairs has now sought comments from the public until
October 5, 2023. This article talks about what exactly Dark
Patterns are, which are sought to be regulated by these
guidelines.
What are Dark Patterns?
Dark Patterns are "any practices or deceptive design
patterns using the User interface or user experience (UI/UX)
interactions on any platform designed to mislead or trick users
into doing something that they originally did not intend or want to
do, by subverting or impairing the consumer autonomy, decision
making or choice, amounting to a misleading advertisement or unfair
trade practice or violation of consumer rights".