Fair framing of consequences #
What is the fair pattern? #
A way to provide equal access to relevant information, i.e., consequences of accepting various cookie settings.
What problem does it solve? #
- Unbalanced presentation (i.e., framing) of the options presented to users and the consequences for them
- Users’ lack of knowledge about the consequences of privacy decisions
When and how should it be used? When and how should it not be used? #
- When users are asked to take decisions about their personal data
- Cookie consent,
- But also: research consent, medical consent, sign up processes in digital services, and more in general in personalized ads choices in any setting, e.g. app permissions
- When there are no severe consequences
What are the incentives for companies to implement it? #
- companies: it increases compliance with GDPR (article 12); transparency;
- consumer retention: they will be less disappointed by the unexpected consequences of their data decisions
What are the disincentives for its use? #
- Business models based on monetization of profiling users
For which dark pattern is this fair design pattern an alternative? #
Unfair (deceptive) positive framing (Gray et al., 2023):
- Positive or Negative Framing uses Emotional or Sensory Manipulation and Interface Interference to visually obscure, distract, or persuade a user from important information they need to achieve their goal.
- As a result, the user may assume that the system is providing equal access to relevant information, leading the user to be distracted by positive or negative aesthetic cues that distract them from important information or action possibilities or otherwise convince them to pursue a different goal.