The guidelines offer practical recommendations to designers and users of social media platforms on how to assess and avoid so-called “dark patterns” in social media interfaces that infringe on GDPR requirements.
Dark patterns are interfaces and user experiences implemented on social media platforms that cause users to make unintended, unwilling and potentially harmful decisions regarding the processing of their personal data. This influences users’ behaviour and ability to effectively protect their personal data. The guidelines give concrete examples of dark pattern types, present best practices for different use cases and contain specific recommendations for designers of user interfaces that facilitate the effective implementation of the GDPR.