The Electronic Frontier Foundation looks at the tactics tech companies use to encourage users to consent to more data collection. “Dark patterns” are techniques where tech companies will use visual indicators to highlight different app functionalities. Apps may have a button that allows it to connect with another service placed in a bright box to entice users to agree. The flipside of this is “opinionated design,” which warns users about potential online dangers, such as when an app warns a connection may not be private, and the highlighted box instead allows an individual to go back to a safe website. The EFF states the best way to combat “dark patterns” is to build apps with a focus on privacy by design.
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