// A VOCABULARY OF MANIPULATION — AND OUR REFUSAL
THE DARK PATTERN LEXICON
The interfaces you use daily were not designed to serve you. They were designed to capture you.
Every infinite scroll, every notification badge, every "are you sure you want to miss out?" was crafted by teams of engineers and psychologists with one goal: maximize extraction. Your time. Your attention. Your data. Your psychological vulnerabilities — mapped, exploited, monetized.
These techniques have names. This document names them.
Not to shame individuals who use these products — we all do — but to make visible what was designed to be invisible. Dark patterns work because they operate below conscious awareness. Once named, they lose power.
// CATEGORY
ATTENTION EXPLOITATION
Patterns designed to capture and hold attention beyond user intent
// CATEGORY
SOCIAL MANIPULATION
Patterns that exploit social instincts and relationships
// CATEGORY
DARK DEFAULTS
Patterns that exploit default settings and user inattention
// CATEGORY
PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLOITATION
Patterns that weaponize cognitive biases and psychological vulnerabilities
// CATEGORY
DATA EXTRACTION
Patterns designed to harvest personal information beyond stated purposes
// CATEGORY
EXIT PREVENTION
Patterns designed to prevent users from leaving
// THE VERIDIAN STANDARDS
THE PLEDGE
We build technology that respects human attention, autonomy, and dignity.
WE REJECT:
- Infinite scroll and autoplay
- Notification bombardment
- Social comparison engines and public metrics
- Privacy-invasive defaults
- Variable reward manipulation
- Guilt copy and confirmshaming
- Dark data collection and shadow profiles
- Behavioral prediction markets
- Exit prevention and data hostage tactics
WE EMBRACE:
- Natural endings and user-initiated engagement
- Asynchronous respect and freedom from obligation
- Private-by-default and minimal data collection
- Deterministic experiences without gambling psychology
- Neutral language and shame-free interactions
- Dignified departure and data portability
- Radical transparency about our practices
We submit to public accountability for these commitments.
Dark patterns exist because they work. They work because they were designed by smart people optimizing for extraction. They persist because most users don't have language for what's being done to them.
Now you have language.
Use it. Share it. When you feel the pull of infinite scroll, name it. When a notification interrupts your life, recognize the mechanism. When an interface makes leaving difficult, call it what it is.
And know that alternatives exist. VERIDIAN is one. There will be more. Every time someone builds technology that respects users — and succeeds — the lie that extraction is necessary weakens.
This lexicon is a weapon. Use it well.
Published January 2026 · VERIDIAN
Released under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0)
[←] BACK TO TOOLS