Deceptive Patterns in Consent and Data Privacy

What are Deceptive Patterns?

The use of manipulative or deceitful design practices to force or trick users into making choices that they wouldn’t otherwise make. It’s common for entities to use multiple deceptive patterns simultaneously to create an irresistible compounding efect.

Deceptive patterns are found outside data privacy in various industries and contexts and are prevalent on mobile apps. These can look like free trials that lead to a recurring subscription fee, online advertisements that look like editorial content, or processes that make it hard to change your account or cancel your subscription.