Dark patterns are design techniques used in apps and websites that manipulate users into making choices that may not be in their best interest, often prioritising the company’s goals over user privacy. These deceptive designs exploit cognitive biases and the user’s desire for convenience, leading them to inadvertently share more personal data than intended. In the context of privacy settings, dark patterns play a significant role in making users opt for less secure options, thus exposing them to greater privacy risks.
Ignorance of extra steps
Many apps come with default settings that are preselected to allow extensive data sharing. For instance, a social media app may have preselected options that make users’ profiles public or a fitness app might share workout data with third parties by default. These settings often require users to manually change them to a more private configuration, which they might overlook due to the effort required.
Apps often use complex or ambiguous language that makes it difficult for users to fully understand what they are consenting to. Terms like “improving user experience” or “personalising your service” can be euphemisms for data collection and sharing. Privacy policies might be buried in lengthy legal jargon, making it hard for the average user to discern what data is being collected and how it will be used.
The visual design of privacy settings can significantly influence user choices. Dark patterns may involve placing privacy-friendly options in less prominent locations or using colours and fonts that draw attention to the less private choices. For example, a brightly coloured button might encourage users to “Accept All” data permissions, while the option to “Customise Settings” or “Reject All” might be in a smaller, duller font, discouraging users from choosing the more private route.
Some apps frame privacy-enhancing choices as inconvenient or suggest that changing settings could impair the app’s functionality. For instance, a prompt might warn users that limiting permissions could result in a “reduced experience” or “limited functionality,” even when the app can function perfectly well with more restrictive settings. This tactic pressures users to prioritise convenience over privacy, even when the impact on usability is negligible.
It’s common for users to be ignorant of the extra actions required to achieve optimal privacy settings. Examining the fine print of each app’s policy may be necessary to comprehend its intricate privacy statement.
For instance, the user of Venmo must select whether to share their buddy lists and transactions with the entire public, only their pals, or remain private. Users must, however, individually set their Friends List, Past Transactions, and Default Privacy Settings. The app’s default privacy settings do not cover every feature. Additionally, by default, all of your transactions on a Venmo account are public, making your financial activity instantly visible to anybody on the internet.
It should come as no surprise that a few well-known individuals, such as Ohio Senator and Republican nominee for Vice President JD Vance, have made their Venmo privacy settings public, making their contacts and transactions visible to everybody using the app. These incidents emphasise how crucial it is to comprehend these settings to guarantee the security of your privacy.
Apps may repeatedly prompt users to grant permissions they previously declined, wearing down their resistance over time. This persistence can lead to “consent fatigue,” where users eventually agree to data sharing simply to stop the interruptions, rather than making an informed decision about their privacy.
Some apps, like Venmo, default to public sharing for actions such as transactions, friend lists, or activity feeds. Users may not realise that their information is publicly visible until after it has already been shared. Changing these settings often requires navigating multiple menus or understanding intricate options, which can be a deterrent for less tech-savvy users.
Venmo is not the only one, though. In late December 2023, Apple published an app named Journal. Diary facilitates the writing of diary entries by iPhone users about their feelings and thoughts. You can include images, movies, towns you visited, and other personal activities in your diary entries. The app makes customised recommendations on user-relevant subjects by utilising an on-device artificial intelligence function.
Users have just discovered that the Journal app’s “Discoverable by Others” option, which raised severe privacy concerns, was hidden beneath the app’s complex privacy settings. Apple claims that other iPhones with journals that are in your contacts can use this capability to determine your proximity. By adding you, the goal is to assist in giving the Journal suggestions from other users a higher priority.
But the contacts on your phones are not just full of close friends you can’t wait to meet and who have already met you. Rather, your phone book could contain arbitrary numbers like a plumber you once hired to fix your house, a realtor you heard about but never used, and so forth. The issue is that similar to other programmes, whether or not you activated the journaling recommendations, new users will always start with the “Discoverable by Others” function enabled.
In some cases, privacy settings are deliberately hidden in less accessible areas of the app or within submenus that are not intuitive to find. This obfuscation means that users are less likely to locate the settings that would help them better protect their privacy, essentially trapping them in the default, less private state.
The use of dark patterns can have significant implications for user privacy. By manipulating users into sharing more data, companies can build more comprehensive profiles that are valuable for targeted advertising, analytics, and other revenue-generating activities. However, this comes at the expense of user trust and security.
Data collected through manipulative means can be more susceptible to breaches, unauthorised access, and misuse by third parties. Moreover, as data accumulates, the potential harm from data breaches increases, with risks ranging from identity theft to unauthorised surveillance.
Safeguarding personal information
Taking control of your data and privacy is the first step towards attaining privacy in a world where digital connections are ubiquitous. It’s crucial to understand that app developers and owners might not have the motivation to implement the most stringent privacy-setting procedures as long as mobile apps can access private user data.
Improper management of your app’s permissions and privacy settings indeed increases the likelihood that other parties, particularly those with malicious intent, may gain access to your data.
Additionally, users frequently find it difficult to distinguish between the contents of their devices and apps, and occasionally they believe that device-level safeguards are sufficient to reduce the danger of using a mobile app with inadequate data security protection. However, this is untrue. Checking the app’s default privacy settings after downloading it is a wonderful general rule of thumb.
A better way to protect privacy is to restrict access rather than provide it. It is a common misconception among app users that access restrictions will compromise an app’s functionality and level of support. Because of this, people often choose to provide access rather than restrict it, and they frequently stick with the default settings.
To combat dark patterns, users need to be vigilant and proactive in managing their privacy settings. This includes taking the time to explore settings thoroughly, reading the fine print, and opting for the most restrictive privacy options available. Additionally, increased awareness and digital literacy can empower users to recognise and resist manipulative designs.
Regulatory measures also play a crucial role. Laws like the GDPR in Europe and the CCPA in California aim to promote transparency and user control over personal data. Enforcement of these regulations can help deter companies from using deceptive practices by imposing penalties for non-compliance.
Dark patterns in privacy settings are a subtle yet powerful tool that can significantly undermine user privacy. By deliberately designing interfaces that favour data sharing and make privacy-friendly choices less accessible or appealing, companies can gather extensive personal data, often without the user’s fully informed consent. Users must be aware of these tactics and take steps to safeguard their privacy, while continued advocacy for stricter regulations can help hold companies accountable for responsible data handling.