option, but you’ll notice that it’s not as prominent as the Set up button. In fact, it is intentionally much less emphasized: It’s smaller and off to the right, displayed as a link, not a button, and it doesn’t feature that bright, inviting blue the other links in the wizard have.
Pay attention and you’ll see this same dark pattern everywhere. Most newsletter popups on websites, for example, use a similar combination. The only real way to outsmart this particular trick is to actually read what’s on the screen while setting up software. I know—that sounds exhausting, but it’s better than getting bamboozled into using features you don’t want.Companies would much rather have subscribers paying a fee every month than one-time customers. Most of the time they are transparent about this and will clearly emphasize that you’re, indeed, signing up for a subscription.
You’ll usually find this dark pattern when signing up for a free trial that requires you to provide your credit card information. The catch is that once your free trial is over, the platform will immediately charge you for the subscription and probably set it up for auto-renewal. Politicians, for example, by pre-checking a box that turns what seems like a one-time donation into a monthly one.
The main way you can identify this dark pattern is to actually read the text next to any checkmarks before you buy something. This will help you make sure it’s not a recurring payment. And if you’ve already made a mistake, this is your chance toSome online advertisements will usually disguise themselves in the hopes of tricking you to click them. The most infamous look like download buttons and are often situated on sites offering software.