Dark Patterns Detector

A Chromium browser extension that automatically detects dark patterns on any webpage you visit using a Large Language Model (LLM). Dark patterns are deceptive design practices that manipulate users into doing things they might not otherwise do.

Learn more about dark patterns on Deceptive Design.

✨ Features

• Simple Interface: Minimalist design with a "Scan This Page" button
• Pattern Detection: Uses Gemini AI to analyze and identify dark patterns
• Highlighting: Highlight specific dark patterns or all patterns at once
• Informative Tooltips: View descriptions of each dark pattern and how it affects users
• Educational Resource: Links to more information about dark patterns

🔧 Installation

1. Development Mode 💻

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Open Chrome and navigate to chrome://extensions/
3. Enable "Developer mode" in the top-right corner
4. Click "Load unpacked" and select the extension directory

2. API Key Setup 🔑

1. Copy config.template.js to config.js
2. Obtain a Gemini API key from Google AI Studio
3. Replace YOUR_GEMINI_API_KEY_HERE in config.js with your actual API key
4. The API key is stored locally and NOT shared when you commit code to GitHub

📋 Usage

1. Click on the extension icon in your browser toolbar
2. Click the "Scan This Page" button
3. Review the list of detected dark patterns
4. Use the "Highlight" buttons to visually identify dark patterns on the page
5. Click "Highlight All" to show all detected patterns at once
6. Hover over highlighted sections to see information about the dark pattern

🔄 Version Management

This extension uses semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH):

• MAJOR: Incompatible API changes
• MINOR: New features in a backward-compatible manner
• PATCH: Bug fixes in a backward-compatible manner

1. Version Scripts 📜

Two scripts are provided to help manage versions:

1. version-bump.js: Updates the version in manifest.json

   node version-bump.js [patch|minor|major]
   

2. create-backup.js: Creates a backup ZIP of the current version

   npm install archiver  # First-time setup
   node create-backup.js [custom-name]
   

2. Rollback Procedure 🔙

If you need to roll back to a previous version:

1. Unzip the backup file of the version you want to restore
2. Load the unpacked extension in Chrome developer mode
3. Test thoroughly to ensure it works as expected

3. Version History 📊

See the CHANGELOG.md file for a detailed version history.

🛠️ Technical Implementation

• Popup Interface: HTML/CSS/JavaScript that provides the user interface
• Content Script: Handles DOM manipulation and highlighting
• AI Integration: Sends page content to Gemini API for dark pattern detection
• Storage: Saves detection results between page refreshes

🎓 Project Purpose

This extension was developed as a Final Year (Capstone) project for the Bachelor of Engineering (IT) degree at Pune Institute of Computer Technology (PICT) Pune, by the following students:

1. Rudra Kadam
2. Mugdha Kulkarni
3. Diya Oswal
4. Gargi Meshram

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.