Guidelines 3/2022 on Dark patterns in social media platform interfaces: How to recognise and avoid them.

In this article, Prof. Avv. Alessandro del Ninno highlights the main contents of the EDPB Guidelines 3/2022 on the data protection implications of dark patterns adopted on March 14, 2022 and in public consultation until May 2, 2022.

Dark patterns are particular design choices adopted by developers on websites and electronic platforms in general (including social media) to induce users - through interfaces, user experiences, particular designs - such as graphic or color choices - or visualization strategies, content or navigation options - to behave or make decisions (including purchasing) in an almost subliminal and unconscious way, and that the user would not have adopted.

Obviously, the interest of the EDPB with these Guidelines is limited to highlighting the data protection risks as arising from dark patterns, providing the interested subjects with a useful practical guide to recognize and avoid them.