Internet

Shining a Light on Dark Patterns

Some user interfaces include “dark patterns” that exploit cognitive bias to manipulate users. Two experiments show that subtle dark patterns are more dangerous, because consumers are less likely to reject them.

“It’s a scavenger hunt”: Usability of Websites’ Opt-Out and Data Deletion Choices

Privacy laws require websites to offer consumers options such as the choice to opt out of advertising or to delete account data. On many sites, these options are poorly labelled and hard to find.

Media as Data Extraction: Towards a New Map of a Transformed Communications Field

Increasingly, media narratives are associated with consumer data collection. Media is becoming more closely linked to economic transactions and structures.

The Many Revolutions of Carpenter

The Supreme Court’s opinion in Carpenter v. United States is revolutionary. The Supreme Court recognizes that Fourth Amendment privacy rights were intended to preserve a society free of constant surveillance.

The European Commission Picks a Fight with Google Android over Business Models

In 2018, the European Commission (EC) ordered Google to change the way its Android software was licensed. The EC’s decision pressures Google to change its business model to mimic Apple.

The Impact of Online Surveillance on Behavior

Online surveillance has a chilling effect on online behavior, affecting Google searches, Wikipedia use, and expression of controversial opinions. Researchers can study consumer behavior before and after the shock of revelations about surveillance in 2013.

The Aisles Have Eyes: How Retailers Track Your Shopping, Strip Your Privacy, and Define Your Power

Increasingly, retailers use technologies such as smartphone apps to track and profile shoppers are they shop in retail stores. Retailers profile consumers and treat some differently than others. Most consumers are unaware of retailers’ tracking and profiling.

The Ten Most Important Section 230 Rulings

Under Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, websites are not legally responsible for content posted on the site by others. A few cases suggest that immunity does not extend to sites that encourage unlawful content.

Loss Functions for Predicted Click-Through Rates in Auctions for Online Advertising

Online ads are usually purchased in auctions. Auction participants sometimes misestimate the likelihood that users will click on an ad, resulting in economic loss. This paper develops a new method of estimating such losses called the “empirical loss function.”

Blind Spot: The Attention Economy and the Law

Firms like Google and Facebook rely on consumer attention, a limited resource. Consumer protection laws and antitrust law assume that harm must be monetary, and do not effectively control problems that arise from unwanted intrusions on our attention.