How "dark defaults" could cost you

A lot of people have experienced some version of this: You sign up for the free one-week trial of some subscription service, only later to be surprised when you get a bill for the deluxe, forever plan. Or you log into a website once, and now your inbox is a flood of promotional emails. All because of a little pre-checked box tucked away, unnoticed. But what if that pesky, pre-checked box cost you thousands of dollars? On today's show, how some political campaigns used 'dark defaults' to raise millions of dollars from unsuspecting donors. Related Episodes: Confused when online shopping? It might be a Dark Pattern For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy