In brief: Plenty of apps work hard to retain users, whether it's a pop-up claiming only two items are left or even something like a Duolingo streak you're scared to break. On Wednesday, the European Commission proposed a Digital Fairness Act that would outlaw many of those manipulative "dark patterns." Surprisingly, it doesn't stop at protecting kids. Adults would get to switch off addictive features like autoplay and streaks, too.
That off switch could reach well beyond social media. As WIRED notes, it would cover the daily streaks in apps like Strava and Duolingo. That could sting, since streaks are how those apps keep people coming back. Duolingo once wrote that a new streak animation alone made brand-new learners 1.7% more likely to stick around for a week.
Until now, Brussels could only really chase these designs on online platforms through the Digital Services Act. Last Friday, it accused TikTok of trapping users in "rabbit holes" through its For You feed, months after flagging the app's infinite scroll and autoplay. Its proposed Kids Act targets addictive design too, but only for children.
Beyond addictive features, the new act also names specific dark patterns. Fake claims that a product is almost sold out would be banned, along with opt-out buttons worded to make you feel bad for declining.
Subscriptions get a cleanup as well. Free trials couldn't roll into a paid plan without your active approval. Canceling one would have to be easy, too. If something still goes wrong, you'd have the right to speak to an actual human customer service representative.
Ticketmaster users won't get nearly as much relief. Despite years of fury over surge-priced concert tickets, the act doesn't ban dynamic pricing outright. Instead, officials settled on transparency, as The Irish Times reports. So people waiting in a virtual queue would see the current price and the highest it could climb, in real time.
To make all this stick, the Commission wants the power to investigate large cross-border cases itself. In those instances, fines could reach 6% of global annual turnover. None of it is law yet, though. The European Parliament and member states still have to agree on the text, and the rules would only apply a year after the law enters into force.
Meanwhile, Google, Meta, and TikTok sued last week to block a California law will ban addictive feeds, endless scrolling, and autoplay starting in January. That one only covers kids under 16. Europe's version would hand the same off switch to adults as well.