The role of dark patterns in manipulating users in digital environments

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.

Keywords

• information technology law
• dark patterns
• user experience
• unfair commercial practices
• data privacy

Dijital ortamlarda kullanıcıların yönlendirilmesinde karanlık tasarımların rolü

Öz

Karanlık tasarımlar kullanıcıları “gerçek” isteklerine veya çıkarlarına aykırı olarak hareket etmeye veya normalde gerçekleştirmeyecekleri eylemleri yapmaya teşvik eden dijital tasarım desenleri olarak tanımlanabilir. Son yıllarda sıklıkla kullanılan bu tasarımlar, dijital ortamlarda kullanıcıların bilgilendirilme, rıza gösterme ve sözleşmeden cayma gibi temel haklarını ihlal ederek ciddi sorunlara yol açabilmektedir. Bu tür uygulamalar, kullanıcıların farkında olmadan finansal yükümlülükler üstlenmesine, kişisel verilerinin izinsiz işlenmesine veya istemedikleri sözleşmelere taraf olmalarına ve bunun sonucunda birçok davanın açılmasına da neden olabilmektedir. Karanlık tasarımların tespiti ve manipülatif etkilerinin ortaya konması yapısal olarak güçtür. Bu nedenle, yalnızca hukuki düzenlemelerle yetinilmemeli; dijital okuryazarlığın artırılması ve kullanıcı bilincinin güçlendirilmesine yönelik önleyici stratejiler de ulusal ve uluslararası düzeyde ele alınmalıdır. Bu bağlamda yapılan çalışmada, kullanıcıları manipüle etmeye yönelik karanlık tasarımlar kavramsal olarak tanımlanmış; bu tasarımların saptanmasının güçlüğü, ülkeler bazında özel düzenlemelerin eksikliği belirlenmiştir. Karanlık tasarımlara yönelik mevcut hukuki düzenlemelerin çoğunlukla genel tüketici haklarına ilişkin kurallar ile haksız rekabet hükümlerine dayanması, karanlık tasarımlara ilişkin özel kanunların olmaması, platformların manipülatif uygulamaları sürdürmesini kolaylaştırdığı gibi kullanıcıların haklarının korunmasında da ciddi bir boşluk yaratmaktadır. Bu nedenle, çalışmada, karanlık tasarımları kullanan, büyük ölçekli şirketlere karşı açılan örnek davalara yer verilmiş, düzenleyici çerçevenin güçlendirilmesine duyulan ihtiyaç somut vakalar üzerinden tartışılmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• bilişim hukuku
• karanlık tasarımlar
• kullanıcı deneyimi
• haksız ticari uygulamalar
• veri gizliliği

Kaynakça

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