@article{article_1709216, title={The role of dark patterns in manipulating users in digital environments}, journal={im: İletişim ve medya çalışmaları dergisi}, pages={121–140}, year={2025}, author={Güneş Peschke, Seldağ and Merhan, İrem}, keywords={bilişim hukuku, karanlık tasarımlar, kullanıcı deneyimi, haksız ticari uygulamalar, veri gizliliği}, abstract={Dark patterns are described as digital design patterns that entice users to take actions that counter to their “real” interests or that they would not otherwise have undertaken. Dark patterns may pose challenges in digital environments by infringing users’ fundamental rights. These deceptive practices may lead users to unknowingly undertake financial obligations; their personal data processed without permission or become parties in contracts they did not intend to enter. Therefore, legal regulations alone are not sufficient enough; preventive strategies must also be identified, digital literacy must be improved, and users must be aware of their rights. In this context, the article defines the concept of dark patterns and analyses the difficulty of identifying such designs and the lack of specific regulations in national and international levels. Current rules on dark patterns are mostly regulated under general consumer protection rights and unfair competition provisions. This situation has been assessed as facilitating the continuation of manipulative practices by platforms and creates a significant gap in the effective protection of user rights. Furthermore, the study highlights lawsuits against large-scale companies and discusses the need to strengthen the regulatory framework through concrete cases.}, number={1}, publisher={Başkent Üniversitesi}