Commentary: Regulation alone won’t be a silver bullet for ‘dark patterns’ that manipulate consumers

Second, continued consumer education and feedback will be crucial. 

Many shoppers still aren’t familiar with the term and meaning of dark patterns, so public awareness campaigns can help people recognise and avoid common examples, such as endless sale cycles or difficulty unsubscribing.

Education should go hand-in-hand with encouraging consumers to speak up and report these experiences, whether by contacting the Consumers Association of Singapore or flagging concerns to the platforms themselves. This grassroots vigilance is invaluable: regulators often rely on public complaints as an early warning system to uncover hidden manipulations that might otherwise persist unnoticed.

For instance, it was a consumer complaint that led CCS to begin investigations into retailer Courts. It subsequently found that during certain promotion periods, Courts would automatically add items to shoppers’ online carts without seeking consent.

Third, consumers can penalise deceptive and manipulative designs with their clicks and dollars. In a competitive marketplace, businesses ultimately listen to their customers. 

Some dark patterns are easier to spot than others. These include “confirm shaming” (an option that says “No thanks, I would rather pay full price”), pre-selection of options (add-ons are selected by default), sneak-into-basket tactics and hidden charges that appear only at payment.

If you spot any of these, if a retailer makes you feel rushed, hides the true price until the last step or turns cancellation into a scavenger hunt, consumers should walk away. Walking away is not only self-protection; it is doing your part to improve the marketplace.

At the end of the day, consumers do not want to be perpetually on guard. For now, though, regulation needs to continue to evolve, businesses and platforms need to self-regulate, and consumers need to be prepared to do the right thing.

Victor Seah is Director of Behavioural Insights Centre of Excellence at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.