When users in the EU visits a website, they will face a cookie consent banner because of the current regulations. A framework called “notice-and-consent” is in place to inform users about cookies and their intentions and to receive consent from the user. Websites have been shown to apply deceptive designs in their cookie notice in order to trick the user into consenting to more cookies than they are aware of, and these deceptive designs are referred to as dark patterns. The framework used today for regulating data collection has met some criticism. It enables businesses to do what they choose with the information they gather as long as they inform the user of their intention. In addition, previous research has shown that businesses can apply dark patterns on the cookie consent notice to gain an economic advantage by making users consent to more cookies than they understand when faced with the decision. This study investigates how websites targeting visitors in Sweden are using dark patterns in their cookie consent notices and how this affects the online experience. Further, this study sought to investigate the end-user’s perception and experience of the data collection climate online by answering the following question: Which dark patterns can be found in the most visited websites in Sweden and how do these affect the users' online experience and perceptions? The research strategy used in this study was a survey strategy. The data collection method was a manual data collection on websites targeting a visitor from Sweden followed by a qualitative online questionnaire, and the data analysis method was a thematic analysis. The study resulted in finding out that 82% of the websites used at least one dark pattern in their cookie and consent interface. The most utilised patterns were Interface interference and Obstruction, found on 62% and 58% of the websites. Most respondents showed signs of irritation or fatigue towards the cookie consent notices or an overall negative perception of the current data collection climate. The respondents also described experiences with the most utilised dark patterns. Further, this study concludes that dark patterns are used as extensively in Sweden as it is in other domains. The regulation that is supposed to protect users might not be the immediate problem but can sometimes be seen as non-existent. A lack of enforcement leads to a market that is free to function on its own. Therefore the responsibility should be removed from the user and instead regulate what is allowed to do with personal data.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第24933号 / 情博第844号 / 新制||情||141(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科社会情報学専攻 / (主査)教授 伊藤 孝行, 教授 鹿島 久嗣, 教授 岡部 寿男, 阿部 正幸(NTT社会情報研究所) / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DGAM

[pt] Este trabalho apresenta como estudo de caso a eleição Norte Americana de 2016 e o uso de propaganda eleitoral como forma de ilustrar a nova Economia de Dados. A era da sociedade informacional Castells (1999) faz uso das tecnologias de comunicação para se informar fazer compras, manter contatos, e parte desse processo requer que se forneçam informações que serão armazenadas em grandes bancos de dados. A empresa Cambridge Analytica é uma das participantes desse mercado recém-formado, que conseguiu colocar um valor econômico a vasta quantidade de dados, e que por meio da mineração e analise de dados conseguiram formar perfil de eleitores, e este é o produto da empresa: a propaganda direcionada. Com surgimento da Internet foi possível ampliar a intensidade com que as informações são transferidas, a capacidade de alterar a rapidez e reduzir distâncias é o que diferencia a nova fase da história do mundo. Em vista o surgimento da precificação das informações dos usuários- que acabam se tornando produtos nesse mercado- o artigo pretende apresentar a necessidade do fortalecimento da legislação que prescreve como essas empresas devem atuar. Sobre tudo porque na ausência de leis que exigem o consentimento, a transparência da mineração, e como é feita a analise de dados, os direitos dos indivíduos acabam sendo minados, e nos deparamos com a possível manipulação da parcela da sociedade que são atingidas pelas propagandas. E se uma vez que a democracia é pautada pela liberdade de informação e por uma sociedade livre, a desinformação dessa sociedade torna-se uma ameaça. / [en] This paper presents as a case study the North American election of 2016 and the use of electoral propaganda as a way to illustrate the new Data Economy. The era of the information society (Castells, 1999) makes use of communication technologies to inform, make purchases, maintain contacts, and part of this process requires that information be provided that will be stored in large databases. Cambridge Analytica is one of the participants in this newly formed market, which has been able to put an economic value on the vast amount of data, and through mining and analysis of data have been able to form a profile of voters, and this is the company s product: targeted advertising. With the rise of the Internet it was possible to increase the intensity with which information is transferred, the ability to change speed and reduce distances is what differentiates the new phase of world history. Giving the appearance of pricing the user information - which eventually become products in this market – this article intends to present the need to strengthen the legislation that prescribes how these companies should act. Especially because in the absence of laws that require consent, the transparency of mining, and how data analysis is done, the rights of individuals are undermined, and we are faced with the possible manipulation of the share of society that is affected by the advertisements . And if democracy is governed by freedom of information and a free society, the disinformation of that society becomes a threat.