Are app signup dark patterns getting worse?

Question

In the last couple months, I've accidentally signed up for both Robinhood Gold and Lyft Pink. I have no idea how the Gold signup happened, but I definitely remember the egregious Lyft Pink signup modal that made the signup button seem like it was just part of the flow of unlocking a bike, every single time.Is it just me, or are these things getting worse? Have these companies just discovered that there are no repercussions to this behavior, or have they collapsed to the point where the short-term incentives of their decision makers aren't aligned with the companies' long term interests?

DaveFlater · Accepted Answer

Whether over months or years, they have certainly gotten worse. It is a race to the bottom or to 1 micrometer above the legal red line if one should ever be established.
CFPB and FTC talked about it: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/compliance/circulars/consume...
Summary of comparable talk in the EU: https://www.insideprivacy.com/eu-data-protection/the-eu-stan...
Down in the details, it looks like there has been enforcement in individual cases, but it obviously was not enough to stop the flood.

EchoChamberMan · Answer

American business has become about violating the the spirit of the law as egregiously as possible while remaining technically legal.

quickthrower2 · Answer

Uber charged me $90 for a subscription. Haven&rsquo;t used the app for a year or paid this before.

AtlasBarfed · Answer

The fight to this is opting out of as much as possible.
These are companies, even as monopolies or cartels, that tremble in fear of losing even 1-2% revenue, because the means the illusion of perpetual growth is broke and the execs can't strike their options.
Buy less. Get by with less. Buy used. Buy generic. Consume less. Sleep more. Read more. Exercise. Cook. Walk or bike.

ChrisArchitect · Answer

An interesting breakdown article from last year:How companies use dark patterns to keep you subscribedhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35815765

tomcam · Answer

Yes I had canceled Reddit Gold and yet somehow they just renewed it. They ignored my emails asking for a refund.

herbst · Answer

I recently been on a shopping website from the UK it used multiple dark patterns some of which have been forbidden under EU law.I still wonder if they just decided to f* it because they don't have to follow those rules anymore.

wilg · Answer

On the web? On mobile wouldn't you have to encounter a system payment flow that would be impossible to miss?

joshxyz · Answer

dude this is my life now. makes me wanna throw my phone every once in a while.

fsflover · Answer

Here is why: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39300863

Are app signup dark patterns getting worse?

American business has become about violating the the spirit of the law as egregiously as possible while remaining technically legal.

Uber charged me $90 for a subscription. Haven’t used the app for a year or paid this before.

An interesting breakdown article from last year:
How companies use dark patterns to keep you subscribed
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35815765

Yes I had canceled Reddit Gold and yet somehow they just renewed it. They ignored my emails asking for a refund.

I recently been on a shopping website from the UK it used multiple dark patterns some of which have been forbidden under EU law.
I still wonder if they just decided to f* it because they don't have to follow those rules anymore.

On the web? On mobile wouldn't you have to encounter a system payment flow that would be impossible to miss?

dude this is my life now. makes me wanna throw my phone every once in a while.

Here is why: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39300863