[论文解读] Regulating Dark Patterns

Martin Brenncke|arXiv (Cornell University)|Sep 30, 2023

European and International Contract Law被引用 7

一句话总结

本论文映射欧盟针对“黑暗模式”的相关法律，解释基于自治的监管框架，并提出六类分类法以引导对在线自治侵犯的监管。

ABSTRACT

Dark patterns have become increasingly pervasive in online choice architectures, encompassing practices like subscription traps, hiding information about fees, pre-selecting options by default, nagging, and drip pricing. Regulators around the world have started to express concerns that such practices are causing substantial consumer detriment. This Article focuses on the legal response to dark patterns in the European Union. It provides the first comprehensive mapping of European Union laws expressly addressing dark patterns. The Article argues that these laws protect biased consumers and adopt autonomy as a normative lens to assess dark patterns. Consequently, regulating dark patterns in European Union law means regulating for autonomy. This normative lens is under-researched. This Article addresses this gap in research with two principle contributions. First, it works out a specific conception of autonomous decision-making, rooted in the paradigm that providing consumers with information enables consumers to make an informed decision. Second, the Article offers a novel normative classification for dark patterns in online choice architectures. It develops a taxonomy encompassing six categories of autonomy violations, specifically tailored for the assessment and regulation of dark patterns that exploit consumer behavioral biases. These categories serve multiple purposes. They uncover and make explicit the autonomy violations addressed by existing European Union laws. They delineate the contentious line between acceptable influences on consumer decision-making and autonomy violations that may warrant regulation in online choice architectures. They also provide policymakers in the EU and elsewhere with a framework when deliberating the regulation of other instances of dark patterns.

研究动机与目标

• 映射明确涉及黑暗模式的欧盟法律。
• 在消费者情境中发展自治决策的规范性观念。
• 提出针对黑暗模式的六类自治侵犯分类法。
• 为决策者提供监管框架和洞见，界定影响进入自治侵犯的情形。

提出的方法

• 对自治作为监管视角进行规范性分析。
• 在为知情选择提供信息充足的前提下，发展对自治决策的明确概念。
• 创建与在线选择结构相关的六类自治侵犯分类法。
• 分析现有欧盟法律如何体现基于自治的关注点并 identifying 监管空缺。

实验结果

研究问题

• RQ1 欧盟法律如何明确 addressing 在线选择结构中的黑暗模式？
• RQ2 在消费者信息与选择的背景下，自治决策的含义为何？
• RQ3 哪一六类自治侵犯分类最能捕捉在线设计中的黑暗模式？
• RQ4 基于自治的框架如何为欧盟及其他地区关于黑暗模式的监管决策提供信息？

主要发现

• 提供对欧盟层面针对黑暗模式的法律的全面映射。
• 阐述以信息促成知情选择为核心的自治决策规范性观念。
• 引入面向黑暗模式的六类自治侵犯分类法。
• 提供一套规范框架，以划定监管中的可接受影响与自治侵犯之间的界限。
• 对欧盟决策者的启示及对其他司法辖区的潜在相关性。