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Many of New Zealand's most popular websites use ‘dark patterns’ to manipulate users – is it time to regulate?

  • Written by: Cherie Lacey, Lecturer in Media Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
Many of New Zealand's most popular websites use ‘dark patterns’ to manipulate users – is it time to regulate?Shutterstock

More than half of the most popular New Zealand websites may be unfairly manipulating visitors, according to our latest research into the use of “dark patterns” in sites with a “co.nz” domain name.

While legal, dark patterns have been described as a type of online design employed to manipulate users into...

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