Deceptive.design – dark pattern types, laws and cases (rebuilt)

Name: Deceptive.design – dark pattern types, laws and cases (rebuilt)
Availability: InStock
Author: harrybr

by harrybr·Jul 7, 2026·1 point·0 comments

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AI Analysis

●●SolidDark HorseNiche Gem

Original dark patterns taxonomy rebuilt with legal database by the person who coined the term.

Strengths

•Author coined 'dark patterns' in 2010, making this the canonical reference source
•Legal database tracks FTC complaints, EU DSA/DMA, and consumer law cases
•Hall of shame contains hundreds of documented real-world examples

Weaknesses

•Content site rather than technical tool limits developer appeal
•Taxonomy concept is 16 years old, rebuild doesn't add novel methodology

Post Description

In July 2010 I posted a blog article here introducing the idea of "dark patterns" [1,2]. Sixteen years later the term appears in FTC complaints, the EU's DSA and DMA, and consumer law in several countries.

I've just finished rebuilding the website https://deceptive.design/ from the ground up. HN has been an important source of discussion on the topic over the years [3] so I thought it would be worth sharing here. The site now includes a taxonomy of pattern types, a hall of shame with hundreds of examples, and a database of laws and legal cases worldwide.

[1] Original HN Post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1511201

[2] Original blog post: https://web.archive.org/web/20170218030346/http://www.90perc...

[3] https://hackernewstrends.com/?q=dark+patterns