The way 'dark patterns' trick users into unwanted digital subscriptions

It’s much like a lobster trap: easy to scuttle in for the bait, but a nightmare to squeeze back out. Designers call these "dark patterns," and they are the digital equivalent of a sticky floor at a seaside arcade.

They make the "Yes" button big and bright, while the "Cancel" option is hidden in tiny, grey text that’s harder to spot than a clean tea towel in a messy kitchen.

It’s all a bit of unnecessary faff designed to keep your credit card on a permanent leash by making the exit as confusing as a maze of back alleys.

Wait, is it actually legal to hide the cancel button like that?

It’s a bit of a legal grey area, dear. Regulators are finally waking up—like a sleepy lifeguard at high noon—but for years, companies have hidden behind the excuse of "fine print."

Technically, the law says terms must be clear, but designers argue that a tiny button is still a button. It’s like a shopkeeper hiding the exit behind a heavy velvet curtain and claiming it’s not their fault you couldn't find it.

Thankfully, new rules are coming in to ensure the "Off" switch is just as easy to flick as the "On" switch, ending all that unnecessary faff.

How on earth do they measure if a button is "easy" enough?

It’s less about measuring pixels and more about the "click count." The new logic is simple: if you signed up with one tap, you should be able to wave goodbye with one tap too. No more digital scavenger hunts.

Regulators are cracking down on the faff where you join online but have to send a carrier pigeon or call a busy phone line to quit. It’s like a shop letting you in the front door but making you crawl through a vent to leave.

They want "equivalence." If the "Join" button is a bright neon sign, the "Leave" button can't be a microscopic speck hidden in the cellar. The exit must be as plain as the nose on your face.

But what if a company just ignores the rules and keeps the faff?

If they decide to be stubborn, the regulators come down on them like a heavy rain on a laundry day. In places like the US, the FTC has started handing out fines that would make a millionaire wince. It’s not just a slap on the wrist; it’s a proper telling-off.

They can be forced to pay back every penny they "tricked" out of people. Imagine a shopkeeper being made to stand on the pier and hand back every coin they took through the back door. It turns their clever little "dark pattern" into a very expensive mistake.

Eventually, if they don't fix the plumbing, they might even be banned from taking payments altogether. It’s a bit like losing your license to sell ice cream because you kept "forgetting" to give people their change.

Can they really just flip a switch to stop the cash flow?

It’s not like they send a bailiff to unplug the internet, dear. Instead, they go to the digital gatekeepers—the banks and payment companies that move the money around.

Imagine the post office refusing to handle a shifty merchant's mail. If regulators flag a company as a bad egg, those payment processors will cut them off instantly.

Without a way to process cards, the website becomes a shop with a locked till. They can keep their buttons, but they’ll be as useless as a chocolate teapot.