The taxonomy is now in case law Dark patterns — the UX tricks that nudge users into choices they would not otherwise make — have been a research topic for over a decade. In 2024–2026 they finally became an enforcement category. The taxonomy from (formerly darkpatterns.org) maps remarkably cleanly onto the cases the FTC, the EU Commission, and India's MeitY have brought. The patterns that just became risky Pattern / What it does / Who's enforcing Roach motel / Easy to sign up, hard to cancel / FTC Click-to-Cancel rule Confirmshaming / Manipulative opt-out copy / EU DSA (very large platforms) Hidden subscription / Trial converts silently to paid / FTC Negative Option Rule Forced continuity / Auto-renewal without reminder / India MeitY guidelines Disguised ad / Ads styled as organic content / FTC Endorsement Guides update Sneak into basket / Pre-added items at checkout / FTC + EU consumer law Pre-ticked consent / "Allow tracking" pre-checked / EU GDPR + DSA What the public record already shows FTC v. Adobe (June 2024 complaint) — the DOJ, on referral from the FTC, sued Adobe over a cancellation flow alleged to violate the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act. The complaint and exhibits are on the FTC press release page and document the exact UI tactics at issue. FTC Click-to-Cancel rule (Oct 2024) — finalised the requirement that cancellation must be at least as easy as sign-up. The rule text and FAQs published by the FTC define the enforceable bar. MeitY dark-pattern guidelines (Nov 2023) — the Indian Ministry of Consumer Affairs published a list of 13 specifically-named patterns (false urgency, basket sneaking, confirmshaming, etc.) that are now actionable under consumer-protection law. What teams should do now Run a dark-pattern audit. The deceptive.design taxonomy maps cleanly to a checklist. Your design system can reference it. Symmetric flows. If sign-up is one screen, cancel is one screen. This is the simplest legal-defensibility heuristic. Plain-language consent. "Yes" and "No" should be equally easy to click. Pre-ticked, hidden, or coloured-asymmetric options now invite a fine. Ship a "single-page cancel." The Click-to-Cancel rule is the starter pack; multiple state laws codify equivalents. The good news: many of these patterns were not great UX even when they were legal. Removing them tends to improve trust metrics. The bad news: removing them also tends to dent the engagement curve, which is exactly why they existed. The era of "growth hack via sneak-tick" is over. Build for users who know you are not asking.