Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne on the 2024 deceptive design privacy sweep

Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne on the 2024 deceptive design privacy sweep

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[Commissioner Dufresne is sitting at his office desk with his hands crossed.]

Philippe Dufresne: Deceptive design patterns in websites and mobile apps can make it difficult for people to make choices that will protect their privacy.

[Footage of office building. Footage of Commissioner in his office typing on his laptop.]

Philippe Dufresne: My Office, along with our counterparts from around the world, examined more than 1,000 websites and mobile apps during a global sweep this year – including online shopping, entertainment, and gaming, as well as sites that appear to be geared at children.

[Footage of Commissioner at his desk reaching and opening his laptop. Close up of an example of deceptive design in which he is asked to make a choice about the company’s “cookie policy.” He is asked to choose between a large blue “accept all” button or a tiny “decline, I do not want to share my information” button that can only be seen and clicked on when the camera zooms in. The Commissioner uses his finger to click through to several blurred pages before clicking on an icon labeled “APP”.]

Philippe Dufresne: We found that almost all – 97 per cent – are using elements of deceptive design that may influence people into giving away more of their personal information.

[This takes him to his own settings page where he clicks a slider to turn off “location services.” He then clicks on a button called “Privacy Policy” which lists 5 sections: Data Privacy Law and your Digital Rights, Personal Data, Cookies and Similar Technologies, Information for Parents and Information for Kids.]

Philippe Dufresne: These tactics are extremely concerning from a privacy perspective. We would expect websites and apps to make it easy for users to protect their personal information. This includes having privacy-friendly default settings and making privacy information easy to find. 

[Camera returns to Commissioner sitting at his desk as he closes his laptop.]

Philippe Dufresne: It is important to be aware of these deceptive patterns – so that you can better protect your information online. To read the results of the global sweep and for tips on how to protect your privacy, visit priv.gc.ca.

[The final screen appears, showing the logo for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.]