Arnesh Mathur General Exam Presentation Tuesday, May 15, 2018 at 2:00 pm - CS402 Title: Examining Advertising Dark Patterns on Social Media: An Empirical Study of Affiliate Marketing Endorsements Abstract: Dark patterns are persuasive techniques in interface design that nudge users towards making sub-optimal decisions in order to benefit the creator of the interface. A common dark pattern that manifests in online platforms involves disguising advertisements as testimonials, endorsements, or reviews to drive sales and clicks. Because users are often ill-equipped to identify such advertisements, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the United States requires that these advertisements be adequately disclosed to avoid user deception and harm. In this study, we examined disclosures accompanying affiliate marketing, a type of endorsement marketing used by content creators on social media platforms. Specifically, we asked how many content creators disclose their affiliate marketing content to users, whether content creators follow the FTC’s disclosure guidelines in their disclosures, and whether users comprehend the disclosure statements. By examining over half a million YouTube videos and two million Pinterest pins, we found that only roughly one-tenth of affiliate marketing content on both platforms contains any form of disclosures. In the following user study, we discovered that users fail to understand shorter, non-explanatory disclosures. Based on our findings, we make various design and policy suggestions that can improve disclosure practices. Barbara A. Mooring Interim Graduate Coordinator Computer Science Department Princeton University