Your subscription apps use manipulative design techniques, FTC finds | TechCrunch Minute

A new study from the Federal Trade Commission looks at the dark patterns That subscription apps and websites use To get more money or more data from Their users dark pattern is actually the Term used in the FTC report and it Refers to manipulative design techniques That are supposed to make users do Something they might not otherwise do or Pay for something they might not Otherwise pay for so the FTC says that Earlier this year it looked at 642 Websites and apps that offer Subscriptions and it found that nearly 76% of them used at least one dark Pattern while nearly 67% used more than One there are many different dark Patterns but let's look at five of the Main ones they're sneaking where an app Hides the ability to cancel your Subscription or turn off auto renewal For example the app might not show you The date you need to cancel by in order Not to get charged again or you might Not be able to find the information you Need to cancel at all obstruction is When an app makes it difficult to Perform a certain action for example There might be a menu where you can Cancel your subscription but the button Is grayed out and kind of hidden nagging Is exactly what it sounds like it's when An app keeps asking you to do something You don't want to do such as provide

Access to your phone's address book Forced action is when you have to do Something in order to get access to Specific functionality such as providing Your payment information just so you can Sign up for a free trial and social Proof is when an app uses data about Other consumers to pressure you into Making a purchase for example trying to Get you to sign up for a subscription by Telling you how many other consumers Have also signed up just to be clear Even though these all fall under the Umbrella of dark patterns that doesn't Necessarily mean they're illegal a lot Of of them might be described as Ethically questionable but still within The law that said there can be legal Consequences for example the FTC sued Online dating company match up years ago And among other things it alleged that Match had made the cancellation process Too complicated so subscribers thought They'd canceled but they really hadn't That lawsuit was ultimately unsuccessful But this report could be a sign that the FDC is looking to do more enforcement in This area in the future in the meantime Learning about the most common dark Patterns could help you avoid getting Tricked in the future I'll see you Monday