Opinion: Companies’ deceptive ‘dark patterns’ online cost you money – here’s how to fight back

Dark patterns may sound like a feature of sketchy websites, but these manipulative practices are a common way mainstream companies dupe people into sacrificing their privacy or paying for stuff they don’t really want. The Federal Trade Commission issued a report last year on the rise of dark patterns and since then has taken action against several companies, including online retailer Amazon and Epic Games, which makes the Fortnite video game. — AP

See if any of this sounds familiar:

● You can’t find an easy way to cancel an unwanted subscription, so you let it continue for another month – telling yourself you’ll try again later.