More than half of the most popular New Zealand websites may be unfairly manipulating you, often into spending more money, or giving away your personal information.
‘Dark patterns’ are design techniques that aim to trick or mislead internet users.
Research carried out by Victoria University found in a study of the top 100 websites with the .co.nz domain, 54 percent of sites had at least one form of dark patterns.
E-commerce sites were the biggest offenders, with tactics such as countdown timers or fake scarcity of items to invoke the fear of missing out, and forcing users to register their details to purchase an item.
Media sites also had a high number of dark patterns, most commonly the auto-play functions on embedded video, and what's called the "roach motel"; where it's easy to sign up to a service or subscription, but very difficult to cancel.
Dr Cherie Lacey, a media and communication studies lecturer at Victoria University carried out the research.
Photo: Screenshot supplied
Photo: Screenshot supplied
