California Passes New Regulation Banning "Dark Patterns" Under Landmark Privacy Law
AnonTechie writes:
New regulations were approved under California's Consumer Privacy Acton Monday that will prohibit the use of so-called dark patterns - tricks deployed by websites or apps that seek to frustrate or bamboozle users into doing things they wouldn't normally do.
In a Monday press release, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the new regulations, approved by the state's Office of Administrative Law, and said that the updated restrictions will strengthen the landmark CCPA legislation approved in August 2020.
Imagine you're navigating a website or watching an in-app ad when you're suddenly redirected to a subscription page, even though you have no interest in whatever product is being marketed at you. Such tactics are what's known as "dark patterns" - underhanded strategies that rely on "confusing language or unnecessary steps such as forced clicking or scrolling through multiple screens or listening to why you shouldn't opt out of their data sale," according to an infographic provided by the California AG's office. The tactics are more widespread than you'd imagine, and banning them under the CCPA is a step towards ensuring that consumers are protected from deceptive business practices.
[California Consumer Privacy Act - 2018]: Consumer Privacy Act - 2018
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