Big Tech And Dark Patterns: How Companies Manipulate Privacy Choices
- IJLLR Journal
- Nov 4
- 1 min read
J Jerusha Devanesam, Vellore Institute of Technology University, Chennai
ABSTRACT
In today’s digital world, personal data has become a highly valuable asset, forming the backbone of the business models of leading technology companies. While data collection is often presented as necessary for delivering personalized services, many corporations rely on “dark patterns” that are design strategies that subtly push users into disclosing more personal information than they might otherwise choose. These tactics, embedded in interfaces, privacy settings, and consent flows, exploit cognitive biases and a lack of clarity, ultimately weakening informed consent and undermining the right to privacy. This paper explores the prevalence and impact of dark patterns used by Big Tech, showing how such practices clash with both legal and ethical principles of data protection. Through case studies it examines how privacy options are often obscured, default settings are biased toward maximum data collection, and opting out is made unnecessarily difficult.
The discussion places dark patterns within the context of global privacy regulations, including the GDPR and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act of 2023, while also examining regulatory challenges in enforcing these standards. It critically assesses how effective these regulations have been in limiting manipulative design practices. The study investigates how corporations exploit user vulnerabilities and the extent to which regulation can protect digital privacy. It concludes that while legal frameworks provide an essential safeguard, stronger enforcement, greater user awareness, and the adoption of ethical design principles are necessary to counter dark patterns and ensure privacy remains a meaningful and enforceable right in the digital ecosystem.
Keywords: Dark Patterns, Data Protection, Digital Privacy, Informed Consent, Personal Data, User Autonomy
