Can't find the "LOGOUT" button on a website?

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ericbarbour
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Can't find the "LOGOUT" button on a website?

Post by ericbarbour » Thu Apr 06, 2023 8:56 pm

Don't worry, you're not being paranoid.

https://www.theverge.com/23670169/logou ... -interface
This unexpected logout hurdle only affirmed my conspiratorial suspicion: websites and apps have a profit-bearing incentive to keep users logged in, reflected in mobile and desktop interface design. The logout button, as a result, has been consigned to the depths of the settings menu, as is the case with Discord and YouTube, or even removed as a function entirely, like on the mobile apps for Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. My theory aligns with the history of dark interface patterns quietly pushed by major tech companies. These UI decisions are made with corporate interests in mind “to trick users into doing things they might not otherwise do.” Concealing the logout function by a few clicks is admittedly not as manipulative as tricking a user to agree to be tracked. The logic seemed similar, though. People are less likely to consider signing out if the option isn’t quite so front and center. Otherwise, why would there be a genre of YouTube tutorials with thousands, if not millions, of views detailing the logout process of certain apps?

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