Facebook and Google use dozens of clicks and tricks to dodge data rules
13 clicks
Facebook and Google are sticking to new data privacy regulations, but that doesn’t mean they have to make the options easy for users.
Published | Photo by Reuters/Dado Ruvic
GDPR forces companies to let users control access to their data, but the Norwegian Consumer Council is calling out Google and Facebook for hiding “opt out” options.
Specifically, the NCC points to Facebook and Google using visual tricks, coded language, and confusing UI to keep users tied in rather than opting out.
For Facebook, opting out of the system’s data collection takes at least 13 clicks or taps. Opting in takes one to four.
Google’s not so different. Its complicated “My Activity” hub includes dozens of pages of options for managing web, location, and privacy data settings.
The circumvention isn’t really new. Dark patterns are widely used by just about any business to push certain services and products.
The misdirection can be seen virtually everywhere: Online stores grey out low prices, booking sites hide links to cheaper flights, and apps say features “won’t be available” if you opt out.
