Deceptive Patterns & FAST

I want to relay to people the pitfalls of Deceptive Patterns and how to spot them and, if applicable, avoid them. Deceptive patterns (also widely known as "dark patterns") are tricks used in websites and apps that make you do things that you didn't mean to, like buying or signing up for something and are all over the Web. I'll speak to the accessibility impact and the harm done to users that deceptive patterns and "dark" patterns have. Many types of deceptive patterns are already illegal in the EU and US, depending on the type and context of use. Businesses that use deceptive patterns are often caught up in legal cases and get hit with big fines and penalties. The examples I have will illustrate the need to have a set of optional guidelines, along with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to address these detective patterns and anti-patterns (which are just bad design and/or bad UX) and hold entities accountable for these and to make the products they serve more accessible by removing the deceptive behaviors behind them. I'll also introduce people to the Framework for Accessible Specification of Technologies (FAST) which advises creators of technical specifications on ensuring their technology meets the needs of users with disabilities. I'll talk about FAST, what it means to accessibility, and to users, developers, designers, and everyone in-between in the organization. FAST primarily addresses web content technologies but also relates to any technology that affects web content sent to users, including client-side APIs, transmission protocols, and interchange formats. Specifications that implement these guidelines make it possible for content authors and user agents to render the content in an accessible manner to people with a wide range of abilities.