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EnglishWhat Is Dark Patterns Hall of Shame?
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Dark Patterns Hall of Shame (hallofshame.design) is a website that documents real-world examples of deceptive and manipulative user interface designs — commonly called "dark patterns" — so that ordinary users and designers can recognize them and avoid being manipulated online. It works as a running catalog of case articles, each naming a specific company and the pattern it used, from pre-checked consent boxes to deliberately difficult cancellation flows.
What the site covers
Each entry on the site is a short case write-up. The homepage presents them as a feed of posts, each tagged with the type of dark pattern involved. The patterns named in the site's own headings and excerpts include:
- Preselection — options that are already checked or enabled by default, so users opt in without noticing.
- Privacy Zuckering — designs that push users into sharing more personal data than they intended.
- Trick Questions — wording or layout that makes a form answer mean the opposite of what the user expects.
- Roach Motel — a service that is easy to sign up for but hard to leave.
- Obstruction — deliberately adding friction to a task the company doesn't want you to complete.
- Misdirection — drawing attention away from the choice that matters.
- Cookie Wall — blocking access to content until cookies are accepted.
- Nagging — repeated prompts to do something the user has already declined.
- Fake Scarcity — manufactured urgency or limited availability.
Examples documented on the site
The case list shows how the site applies these labels to named products:
| Company | Pattern | What the case describes |
|---|---|---|
| Preselection, Privacy Zuckering | Using member content to train AI, with consent handled by default | |
| Figma | Preselection | AI features rolled out with users automatically opted in to have design files used for AI training |
| Mailchimp | Trick Questions | A sign-up process using a deceptive question format |
| HRAcuity | Cookie Wall | Forcing cookie acceptance before a video can be viewed |
| Amazon (Audible) | Roach Motel, Misdirection, Obstruction | A cancellation flow built to complicate the process |
| Phosus | Preselection | A sign-up screen that quietly opts users into marketing emails |
| Groww | Preselection | A pre-checked box granting permission to check a credit score |
| LinkedIn Premium | Roach Motel | A cancellation flow that is harder than the sign-up |
| StubHub | Obstruction, Fake Scarcity | Practices that drew a lawsuit from the D.C. attorney general in August 2024 |
| X | Preselection | A setting allowing posted content to be used to train its AI, Grok |
| Nagging | Persistent prompts to download the app | |
| TikTok | Nagging | Repeated requests for notification access after being declined |
Who it's for
The site is written for two overlapping audiences. For everyday users, it functions as a warning list: if a company you use appears here, the entry tells you what to watch for and, in several cases, how to opt out or cancel. For designers and product people, it works as a reference of patterns to avoid, with each case showing how a specific design choice crosses the line from persuasion into manipulation.
How to use it
- Open hallofshame.design and scan the feed for a company or product you use.
- Read the case to identify which pattern is involved and what the deceptive mechanic is.
- Where the entry covers a setting or subscription (for example, AI training opt-outs or a cancellation flow), follow the described steps to change your own configuration.
- Use the pattern names — preselection, roach motel, nagging, and so on — as search terms when you want to check whether a new service uses the same tactic.
The site's stated purpose is to help people protect their online privacy and rights by staying informed about these designs. It is a documentation and awareness resource rather than a tool that blocks or fixes dark patterns for you.