Fair trade watchdog proposes updated guidelines on membership cancellations

South Korea's fair trade watchdog on Tuesday unveiled proposed revisions to its consumer protection guidelines, clarifying legal standards on dark patterns, including tactics that hinder purchase cancellations and account deletions.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said the proposal, open for public comment through Nov. 26, aims to encourage businesses to comply with the law by providing specific interpretations and examples of violations in areas where legal breaches and consumer complaints have been frequent.

In detail, the proposed revisions to the Guidelines for Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce state that placing membership cancellation buttons where users have difficulty finding them may constitute a violation.

Examples include placing membership cancellation buttons on pages other than the first screen after login or a page directly accessible from it, while displaying sign-up buttons on the homepage.

Requiring unnecessary identity verification that was not required during purchases or sign-ups or making surveys mandatory before users can cancel orders or terminate memberships would also be listed as examples of violations.

The proposed revisions also clarify that consumers' right to cancel orders for custom-made products due to a change of mind can be restricted only when cancellation is expected to cause serious harm to the seller.

The FTC said the revisions are expected to help e-commerce businesses avoid legal violations and prevent consumer harm by providing specific standards and examples concerning issues that have frequently involved violations and complaints.