Dark Pattern Detector

About

Dark Pattern Detector — See the Tricks Websites Don't Want You to Notice

That "free trial" that quietly charges your card. The "Only 2 left!" that resets every time you refresh. The cancel button hidden behind three pages of guilt trips. These are dark patterns — and they're everywhere.

Dark Pattern Detector scans every page you visit in real-time and highlights manipulative UI tricks before they catch you off guard. No AI APIs. No cloud. Just fast, client-side heuristics that protect you while you browse.

What It Detects

Confirm Shaming — "No thanks, I'd rather pay full price." Buttons designed to guilt-trip you into clicking yes. We flag the emotional manipulation so you can decide with a clear head.

Forced Continuity — Free trials that require a credit card and auto-convert to paid subscriptions. We spot the fine print they're hoping you'll miss.

Hidden Costs — Service fees, handling charges, and "convenience" surcharges that appear at checkout after you've already committed. We flag every surprise fee.

Trick Questions — Double negatives, pre-checked marketing consent, and confusing opt-out language. "Uncheck this box to not unsubscribe from our newsletter." Yeah, we catch that.

Misdirection — When the "Subscribe" button is large, bright, and colorful — but "Skip" is a tiny gray link hidden underneath. We measure the visual imbalance and call it out.

Urgency & Scarcity — Fake countdown timers. "37 people are viewing this right now." "Selling fast!" We detect fabricated pressure tactics designed to rush your decisions.

Roach Motel — Easy to sign up, impossible to cancel. Tiny unsubscribe links, low-contrast cancel buttons, cancellation flows that require a phone call. We measure it all.

Sneaking — Pre-checked checkboxes that add insurance, donations, gift wrapping, or premium shipping to your cart without you asking.

Features

• Letter Grades (A-F) — Every site gets a trust score at a glance
• On-Page Highlighting — Red dashed borders and warning icons on every detected pattern
• Rich Tooltips — Hover to see exactly what's manipulative and why
• Floating Badge — Unobtrusive count of dark patterns in the bottom-left corner
• Stats Dashboard — Track sites scanned, patterns found, most common tricks, and worst-scoring sites
• Trust Mode — Whitelist sites you trust to skip scanning
• One Toggle — Enable or disable with a single switch

Privacy First

All detection runs locally in your browser. Zero data collection. Zero tracking. Zero network requests. Your browsing data never leaves your device.

Who It's For

Online shoppers tired of surprise fees. Privacy advocates who want to see manipulation tactics in action. Developers and designers learning what NOT to do. Journalists investigating deceptive practices. Anyone who believes the internet should be more honest.

Press & Research

Dark patterns affect billions of users daily. The FTC has taken enforcement action against companies using deceptive design. The EU's Digital Services Act specifically targets dark patterns. This extension puts detection directly in users' hands — no expertise required.

Built by PandyClaw. Local heuristics. No monetization. No premium tier. Just protection.