New York Times: Publishers Clearing House Pays $18.5 Million in ‘Dark Patterns’ Suit

New York Times: Publishers Clearing House Pays $18.5 Million in ‘Dark Patterns’ Suit. “Publishers Clearing House, the direct marketing company that uses sweepstakes to sell magazine subscriptions, agreed on Monday to pay $18.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the Federal Trade Commission, which accused the company of using what’s known as dark patterns to trick customers into paying for products or giving up their data.”