OECD members: Published ICPEN Report on dark patterns in subscription services

On 2 July 2024, the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) published a report on dark patterns in subscription services. The report revealed the pervasive use of dark patterns in online subscription services designed to manipulate consumer choices, including difficulty in cancellation of auto-renewals, obscuring cancellation steps, not specifying cancellation deadlines, subscription traps and urgency practices. The report comes out of a sweep which was conducted in conjunction with the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN).