Principle 02 of 8
Autonomy
People choose freely and knowingly, and can say no, change their mind, or leave.
Protects
Customers, users, workers
Why it matters
A choice that was engineered, hidden, or made impossible to undo is not a real choice.
Covers
Subscriptions, contracts, and lock-in (Category 2), misdirection, obstruction, and forced action (3.3–3.5), and consent manipulation (5.1).
Practices that break it
24 subsections · 129 practices
1.9Tipping Manipulation+ Honesty3
2.1Cancellation Friction (Roach Motel)5
2.2Auto-Renewal Manipulation+ Honesty5
2.3Tier Degradation & Feature Gating+ Honesty8
2.4Vendor Lock-In10
2.5Forced Bundling & Tying+ Fairness4
2.6Forced Arbitration & Class-Action Waivers+ Accountability3
2.7Contract Imbalance+ Fairness6
3.1Sneaking Patterns+ Honesty4
3.2Urgency & Scarcity Patterns+ Honesty5
3.3Misdirection Patterns+ Honesty4
3.4Obstruction Patterns4
3.5Forced Action+ Privacy5
3.6Behavioral Reinforcement+ Care9
3.7Emotional Manipulation+ Care6
4.5Biometric Collection Without Consent+ Privacy5
4.10Data Sale to Brokers / Third Parties+ Privacy8
5.1Consent Manipulation+ Privacy7
7.9Political & Dark-Ad Practices+ Honesty5
8.3Repair Restriction+ Safety7
10.3Self-Exclusion Sabotage+ Care4
11.9Non-Compete Overreach+ Responsibility4
11.16Restrictions on Career Mobility+ Responsibility4
12.4Tying & Forced Bundling+ Responsibility4
The same principle, across industries
Every practice above, as it reads in the catalog. Numbers link to the standard.
1.9 Tipping Manipulation · 3 practices
Autonomy+ Honesty
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.9.1 | Pre-Selected Default Tip Percentages | POS terminals defaulting to high tip percentages (often 18–30%), placing the no-tip option in a smaller, lower-contrast, or extra-tap location, or pre-highlighting the largest amount. | Counter-service food, retail, mobile POS systems, ride-hailing apps |
| 1.9.2 | Tip Solicitation Outside Service Contexts | Soliciting tips in transactions historically not tipped — self-checkout, take-out, retail, automated kiosks — exploiting social pressure and unfamiliarity to extract gratuities for services that involve no traditional service component. | Retail, self-checkout, automated kiosks, take-out food, airport concessions |
| 1.9.3 | Tip-on-Tax / Tip-on-Pre-Discount Total | Calculating suggested tip percentages on the tax-inclusive total or pre-discount price, inflating the displayed "suggested" amount above the cost of the underlying service. | Restaurants, food delivery, hospitality |
2.1 Cancellation Friction (Roach Motel) · 5 practices
Autonomy
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1.1 | Asymmetric Signup/Cancel | Allowing instant online signup while requiring phone calls, certified mail, or in-person visits to cancel. | Fitness/gyms, dating, gambling, cosmetics, cleaning, mental health, telecom |
| 2.1.2 | Cancellation Maze | Designing multi-step cancellation flows with confusing portals, hidden links, or repeated confirmation steps. | Fitness, dating, mobile carriers, food delivery, streaming, dental insurance |
| 2.1.3 | Retention Dark Patterns | Mandatory retention calls, guilt-tripping prompts, repeated "are you sure?" friction, or hidden cancel buttons that pressure users to stay. | Streaming, fitness, cybersecurity, mental health, news subscriptions |
| 2.1.4 | Zombie Billing Post-Cancel | Continuing to charge after a cancellation has been requested, citing "processing periods" or "billing-cycle completion." | Fitness, dating, cleaning, telecom |
| 2.1.5 | Cooling-Off Period Removal | Eliminating any post-sale cancellation window even when the user has not yet used the service. | Telecom, fitness, real estate (leases), wedding planning |
2.2 Auto-Renewal Manipulation · 5 practices
Autonomy+ Honesty
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2.1 | Hidden Renewal | Auto-renewing subscriptions or contracts without prominent advance notice, banking on user inattention. | Streaming, telecom, fitness, dating, supplements, pest control, waste management |
| 2.2.2 | Free-Trial Conversion Trap | Collecting payment information for "free" trials and silently converting to paid at the end of the trial without notification. | Streaming, cosmetics, supplements, software, dating |
| 2.2.3 | Auto-Renewal with Escalation | Automatically renewing into a new long-term commitment at a higher price or expanded scope without affirmative consent. | Cleaning services, waste management, fitness, telecom |
| 2.2.4 | Renewal Pressure Tactics | Using urgency, fear messaging, or artificial deadlines at renewal to upgrade or rebind. | Insurance, cybersecurity, supplements |
| 2.2.5 | Silent Coverage Erosion | Renewing policies or contracts with reduced coverage at the same or higher price without highlighting the changes. | Insurance, cloud/SaaS, telecom |
2.3 Tier Degradation & Feature Gating · 8 practices
Autonomy+ Honesty
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.3.1 | Tier Degradation | Moving features previously included in a tier to a higher-priced tier (or removing them altogether). | Streaming, SaaS, gaming, home appliances |
| 2.3.2 | Feature Gating of Existing Hardware | Software-disabling capabilities present in already-purchased hardware to justify a premium tier. | Home appliances, automotive (over-the-air feature removal), connected devices |
| 2.3.3 | Subscription Requirements for Core Functions | Requiring ongoing payment for features that were one-time purchases or that cost nothing to deliver. | Home appliances, automotive (heated seats subscription), gaming (always-online DRM) |
| 2.3.4 | Ad Injection into Paid Tiers | Adding advertising to previously ad-free tiers, then offering ad removal at a higher price. | Streaming, gaming, smart-TV manufacturers |
| 2.3.5 | Ad-Tier Bait-and-Switch | Introducing a low-cost ad-supported tier whose ad load progressively increases over time. | Streaming, podcasting |
| 2.3.6 | Quality Throttling of Free Tier | Deliberately degrading the free or low-tier experience to manufacture urgency for upgrade. | Dating (match visibility), gaming, e-commerce search, social media reach |
| 2.3.7 | Microtransaction Fatigue | Requiring per-action payments (super likes, boosts, premium reactions) that accumulate beyond the advertised subscription cost. | Dating, gaming (loot boxes), social media |
| 2.3.8 | Grind-or-Pay Design | Intentionally slowing free progression to push players or users toward paid shortcuts. | Gaming, dating |
2.4 Vendor Lock-In · 10 practices
Autonomy
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4.1 | Proprietary-Format Lock-In | Storing user data in proprietary formats with no documented open alternative, making migration prohibitively costly. | Cloud/SaaS, healthcare (EHR), automotive (telematics), cybersecurity, music industry |
| 2.4.2 | Data-Export Obstruction | Imposing technical or bureaucratic obstacles — throttled exports, mandatory tickets, complex transformations — that make leaving impractical. | Cloud/SaaS, healthcare, freelance/gig platforms (portfolio export) |
| 2.4.3 | Egress / Data-Out Fees | Setting data-export or transfer fees far exceeding actual cost, financially penalizing departure. | Cloud infrastructure, telecom (number porting fees) |
| 2.4.4 | Punitive Early-Termination Fees | Imposing exit penalties that exceed the cost of staying, including full remaining-contract payment. | Mobile carriers, cloud/SaaS, real estate, fitness, gym, waste management |
| 2.4.5 | API Deprecation Without Migration | Deprecating APIs critical to customer integrations without providing migration paths, replacements, or adequate notice. | Cloud/SaaS, social media, payment platforms |
| 2.4.6 | Ecosystem Identity Lock-In | Requiring use of the provider's identity, authentication, or management services across all products, making partial migration infeasible. | Cloud/SaaS, search engines, AI platforms |
| 2.4.7 | Parts Pairing / Component DRM | Using software locks or serialization that prevent third-party or self-installed parts from functioning even when physically compatible. | Automotive, home appliances, agriculture (tractors), medical devices |
| 2.4.8 | Carrier Unlock Obstruction | Maintaining device locks beyond the contract period or imposing fees / bureaucracy to unlock paid-off devices. | Mobile carriers |
| 2.4.9 | Number Porting Obstruction | Delaying, gating, or routing number-port requests through retention pressure to discourage carrier switching. | Mobile carriers |
| 2.4.10 | Open-Source Bait-and-Switch | Building market position on open-source releases, then transitioning core capabilities to proprietary or closed licenses once dominant. | AI platforms, cloud/SaaS |
2.5 Forced Bundling & Tying · 4 practices
Autonomy+ Fairness
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5.1 | Tying of Unwanted Products | Requiring purchase of unrelated products or services as a condition of obtaining the desired one. | Insurance, financial services, e-commerce, agriculture (seed-herbicide bundling) |
| 2.5.2 | Mandatory Bundle Pricing | Offering only bundled packages that mix essential and optional items so individual costs cannot be compared. | Funeral services, wedding planning, event ticketing, cable/internet |
| 2.5.3 | Bundle Obfuscation | Bundling multiple services so individual pricing and partial cancellation are obscured. | Streaming, telecom |
| 2.5.4 | Cloud-Service Bundling | Bundling infrastructure, platform, and SaaS products to foreclose competitors of any single layer. | Cloud/SaaS |
2.6 Forced Arbitration & Class-Action Waivers · 3 practices
Autonomy+ Accountability
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.6.1 | Mandatory Arbitration Clause | Requiring arbitration in EULAs, employment contracts, or service terms that strips users or workers of access to courts and class actions. | Financial services, gaming (EULAs), tobacco, internal company ethics, gig economy |
| 2.6.2 | Operator-Friendly Forum Selection | Forcing arbitration in jurisdictions chosen for operator advantage, with short complaint windows and limited discovery. | Gambling, mobile carriers, financial services |
| 2.6.3 | EULA Retroactive Modification | Unilaterally changing EULAs or terms after purchase to reduce user rights or expand data collection. | Gaming, software, social media |
2.7 Contract Imbalance · 6 practices
Autonomy+ Fairness
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7.1 | Unilateral Contract Changes | Modifying agreement terms (commission, fees, scope) with minimal notice, forcing take-it-or-leave-it acceptance. | E-commerce platforms, food delivery, gig economy, app stores |
| 2.7.2 | Force-Majeure Asymmetry | Drafting force-majeure clauses that protect the vendor but not the customer. | Wedding planning, event venues, hospitality |
| 2.7.3 | Punitive Cancellation Penalty | Imposing cancellation penalties disproportionate to actual lost revenue. | Wedding, hospitality, real estate, fitness |
| 2.7.4 | Non-Refundable Trap | Defaulting to non-refundable bookings while making refundable options hard to find or significantly more expensive. | Hospitality, travel, ticketing |
| 2.7.5 | Concession Clawback | Offering "first month free" promotions whose cost is recovered through inflated base rent or fees over the lease term. | Real estate |
| 2.7.6 | Lien Threats | Filing or threatening mechanic's liens to coerce payment for disputed or incomplete work. | Construction, plumbing, home services |
3.1 Sneaking Patterns · 4 practices
Autonomy+ Honesty
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1.1 | Hidden Costs at Checkout | Revealing fees only on the final step of checkout, after the user has invested time in the flow. | E-commerce, hospitality, ticketing, food delivery |
| 3.1.2 | Sneak into Basket | Pre-selecting or auto-adding items, insurance, donations, or services to a cart. | E-commerce, travel, financial services |
| 3.1.3 | Disguised Ads | Designing ads to look like content, navigation, or organic recommendations. | Search engines, e-commerce, social media, news |
| 3.1.4 | Bait & Switch (Outcome) | Promising one outcome (free download, simple signup) and delivering a different one (subscription, account creation). | Software, dating, e-commerce, fitness |
3.2 Urgency & Scarcity Patterns · 5 practices
Autonomy+ Honesty
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2.1 | Fake Countdown Timer | Displaying a countdown that resets, has no real consequence, or is decorative. | E-commerce, ticketing, education enrollment funnels |
| 3.2.2 | False Scarcity | Showing inventory levels ("only 2 left") or claims of scarcity ("limited release") that are fabricated or manufactured. | Hospitality, e-commerce, ticketing, fashion |
| 3.2.3 | Fake Social Proof | Showing "47 people viewing this" or similar figures that are randomized or fabricated. | Hospitality, e-commerce, dating |
| 3.2.4 | Manufactured Emotional Urgency | Notifications like "Someone special is waiting" or "Your match expires soon" designed to provoke immediate action. | Dating, gambling |
| 3.2.5 | In-Play Bet Time-Pressure | Countdown windows on in-play betting that rush bettors into rapid wagers without deliberation. | Gambling |
3.3 Misdirection Patterns · 4 practices
Autonomy+ Honesty
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3.1 | Confirmshaming | Using guilt-inducing or self-deprecating language for the opt-out option ("No thanks, I don't want to save money"). | E-commerce, fitness, nonprofits, supplements |
| 3.3.2 | Visual Interference | Using contrast, size, or position to obscure the option that disadvantages the platform (tiny gray "decline" links, prominent "Yes" buttons). | E-commerce, cookie banners, software installers |
| 3.3.3 | Trick Questions | Confusing double negatives or unclear toggle states ("Uncheck to not receive newsletters"). | E-commerce, account settings, advertising preferences |
| 3.3.4 | Pre-Checked Boxes | Defaulting to opt-in for marketing, data sharing, or ancillary purchases. | E-commerce, nonprofits, financial services, advertising |
3.4 Obstruction Patterns · 4 practices
Autonomy
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.4.1 | Roach Motel | Easy entry, hard exit (see also § 2.1). | Subscriptions, gym memberships, dating, mental health, gambling |
| 3.4.2 | Privacy Zuckering | Defaulting privacy controls to maximum data sharing and burying granular controls in obscure menus. | Social media, search engines, mobile OSes |
| 3.4.3 | Price-Comparison Prevention | Designing tiers, features, or measurements so cross-product or cross-vendor comparison is impractical. | Telecom plans, insurance, energy tariffs, hospitality (resort fees) |
| 3.4.4 | Cookie-Consent Dark Patterns | Pre-selected options, hidden reject buttons, confusing toggle UIs, or bury-the-decline patterns. | Media/journalism, e-commerce, advertising |
3.5 Forced Action · 5 practices
Autonomy+ Privacy
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5.1 | Forced Registration | Requiring account creation for actions that don't need persistent identity (viewing prices, completing a one-time purchase). | E-commerce, news/media, software downloads |
| 3.5.2 | Forced Continuity | Automatic conversion of a free trial to paid without a clear pre-charge prompt. | Streaming, supplements, software |
| 3.5.3 | Friend Spam / Contact Upload | Requiring contact-list access or social-graph permissions as a condition of basic functionality. | Social media, productivity apps |
| 3.5.4 | Forced Ad Targeting | Making personalized ad targeting a non-negotiable condition of using the service, even in paid tiers. | Social media, streaming |
| 3.5.5 | Aggressive In-Person Solicitation | Verbal solicitation, shouting, harassment, or physical blocking of potential customers in transit hubs and tourist zones to coerce a transaction before they can compare alternatives. | Taxi services at airports/stations, timeshare reps, street vendors |
3.6 Behavioral Reinforcement · 9 practices
Autonomy+ Care
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6.1 | Variable Reward Scheduling | Unpredictable rewards (likes, matches, drops) tuned to maximize engagement, mirroring slot-machine mechanics. | Social media, dating, gaming, gambling |
| 3.6.2 | Infinite Scroll | Eliminating natural stopping cues by paginating endlessly. | Social media, news feeds, e-commerce |
| 3.6.3 | Autoplay | Auto-advancing to the next video, episode, or content item without user action. | Streaming, social media, gaming |
| 3.6.4 | Notification Manipulation | Strategic alerts ("You have unseen activity!") designed to trigger re-engagement when nothing new is present. | Social media, dating, gambling |
| 3.6.5 | Streak Mechanics | Punishing breaks in usage with public streak loss and reminders. | Social media, fitness apps, language-learning |
| 3.6.6 | Artificial Progress Bars | Profile or task completeness indicators that exploit completion bias and never quite reach 100%. | Social media, e-commerce loyalty, fitness |
| 3.6.7 | Pull-to-Refresh as Slot Lever | Gesture-based feed refresh that mimics slot-machine pulls with variable new content. | Social media, news feeds |
| 3.6.8 | Loss-Disguised-as-Win Cues | Celebrating near-misses or partial returns with winning sounds, animations, or visual cues that neurologically mimic actual wins. | Gambling, gaming (loot boxes) |
| 3.6.9 | Time-Distortion Design | Removing clocks, windows, or natural time cues to obscure session duration. | Gambling (casinos, apps), social media |
3.7 Emotional Manipulation · 6 practices
Autonomy+ Care
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.7.1 | Fear Appeals | Marketing that exaggerates risks ("Your data is at risk!") to drive action. | Cybersecurity, supplements, baby products, insurance, pet industry, home services |
| 3.7.2 | Guilt Induction | Implying the user is letting someone down by declining ("You'll regret this," "Don't you care?"). | Nonprofits (fundraising), retail, dating |
| 3.7.3 | Social-Pressure Framing | Implying social judgment ("Your friends already joined"). | Social media, e-commerce |
| 3.7.4 | Loss Framing | Emphasizing what the user will lose ("Don't lose your progress!"). | Subscription services, fitness, gaming |
| 3.7.5 | False Authority Claims | Fabricated or unsubstantiated expert endorsements ("Recommended by 9/10 doctors"). | Supplements, beauty, food, dental |
| 3.7.6 | Dignity-Language Exploitation | Steering grieving or vulnerable customers toward expensive options through implied judgments about love, respect, or duty. | Funeral services, senior care, wedding planning |
4.5 Biometric Collection Without Consent · 5 practices
Autonomy+ Privacy
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5.1 | Biometric Boarding/Entry Coercion | Defaulting to facial recognition, fingerprint, or iris scans for boarding or venue entry, with opt-out paths intentionally burdensome. | Airlines, ticketing/venues, government services |
| 4.5.2 | Always-On Microphone | Voice-activated features that retain microphone access without clear status indication or user control. | Home appliances, smart speakers, gaming |
| 4.5.3 | Biometric Storage Beyond Verification | Retaining identity documents, faceprints, or fingerprints beyond the verification event. | Tobacco/vaping (age verification), financial onboarding, gambling |
| 4.5.4 | Public-Space Biometric Surveillance | Operating facial recognition in public space without informed, specific, revocable consent. | Government, retail (loss prevention), transit |
| 4.5.5 | Wearable Biometric Sale | Collecting heart rate, body composition, recovery, or fitness assessment data and selling to insurers, employers, or brokers. | Fitness, sports, healthcare wearables |
4.10 Data Sale to Brokers / Third Parties · 8 practices
Autonomy+ Privacy
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.10.1 | Data Sale to Brokers | Selling user, customer, patient, or worker data — including behavioral, demographic, and inferred attributes — to data brokers or downstream resellers. | Cross-domain (healthcare, retail, telecom, social media, automotive, real estate, search, fitness, mental health, dating, education, music, entertainment, ride-hailing, food delivery, banking, advertising, dental, veterinary, alcohol, tobacco, supplements, prison, wedding, funeral, wedding, baby/children, senior care, firearms, etc.) |
| 4.10.2 | Sensitive-Health Data Sale | Selling mental health, reproductive, addiction, or therapy session data — including AI chatbot conversations — to advertisers or third parties. | Mental health, pharma/biotech, dental, healthcare |
| 4.10.3 | Therapy-Conversation Harvesting | Using AI mental health chatbot conversations for training, profiling, or sale without explicit consent. | Mental health, AI |
| 4.10.4 | Clinical-Trial Genetic Data Sale | Selling or licensing genetic data collected from trial participants for secondary commercial use. | Pharma/biotech |
| 4.10.5 | Inmate Communication-Data Sale | Selling or sharing inmate call records, purchases, or location data — extending surveillance to family members. | Prison/corrections |
| 4.10.6 | Loyalty-Program Data Sale | Selling frequent-customer data — travel patterns, purchase histories, demographics — to insurers, marketers, or analytics firms. | Airlines, hotels, retail, financial services |
| 4.10.7 | Government-Agency Data Sale | Providing personal data to law enforcement without warrants, exploiting commercial channels to bypass constitutional protections. | Data brokers, surveillance technology |
| 4.10.8 | Authoritarian-Regime Sales | Providing data, analytics, surveillance, or imagery to governments with documented human rights abuses. | Data brokers, AI, surveillance technology, space/aerospace (satellite imagery) |
5.1 Consent Manipulation · 7 practices
Autonomy+ Privacy
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1.1 | Bundled Consent | Requiring users to accept broad data collection, tracking, and analytics as a single all-or-nothing package rather than granular choices. | Internal company ethics, social media, mobile apps |
| 5.1.2 | Coerced Consent | "Accept or leave" ultimatums that make refusal impractical even when refusal should be a viable option. | Social media, telecom, healthcare (data sharing in treatment forms) |
| 5.1.3 | Consent Fatigue | Overwhelming users with repeated or fragmented consent requests so that meaningful choice degrades into reflexive acceptance. | Cookie banners, mobile permissions |
| 5.1.4 | Opt-Out Friction / Burial | Burying tracking opt-outs in obscure settings, requiring admin privileges, resetting preferences after updates, or requiring account creation to opt out. | Internal company ethics, advertising, social media |
| 5.1.5 | Opt-Out Expiration | Setting time limits on opt-out requests, automatically re-enrolling consumers in data collection after a period. | Data brokers |
| 5.1.6 | Coerced Wearable / Telematics Sharing | Conditioning meaningful discounts on sharing of wearable, driving, or other behavioral data, penalizing privacy-conscious customers. | Insurance, automotive |
| 5.1.7 | Genetic Data Coercion | Using or requesting genetic testing data for underwriting decisions or as a condition of service. | Insurance |
7.9 Political & Dark-Ad Practices · 5 practices
Autonomy+ Honesty
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.9.1 | Dark Ads Without Public Archive | Running political, issue, or commercial ads visible only to narrow audience segments with no public record of content or targeting. | Digital advertising |
| 7.9.2 | Political Ad Origin Concealment | Allowing political ads to run without disclosing the true funder, using shell organizations to mask origin. | Digital advertising |
| 7.9.3 | Political Microtargeting Opacity | Enabling granular political targeting without disclosing criteria, audience size, or demographic basis. | Digital advertising |
| 7.9.4 | Ad Library Inaccessibility | Maintaining ad transparency libraries that are incomplete, delayed, unsearchable, or omit targeting data. | Digital advertising |
| 7.9.5 | Psychographic Manipulation Targeting | Using personality modeling to deliver messages designed to exploit individual psychological vulnerabilities. | PR/marketing, advertising |
8.3 Repair Restriction · 7 practices
Autonomy+ Safety
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.3.1 | Parts Pairing & Component DRM | Software locks or serialization that prevent third-party or self-installed parts from functioning. | Automotive, home appliances, agriculture |
| 8.3.2 | Schematic Withholding | Refusing to publish repair manuals, wiring diagrams, or service schematics. | Home appliances, automotive |
| 8.3.3 | Diagnostic Gatekeeping | Encrypting or restricting diagnostic codes / software to authorized technicians only. | Automotive, home appliances |
| 8.3.4 | Specialized-Tool Requirements | Designing products that require proprietary tools available only to authorized service providers. | Home appliances, electronics |
| 8.3.5 | Void-if-Repaired Stickers | Labels falsely claiming warranties are voided by independent or self-repair. | Home appliances, electronics |
| 8.3.6 | Warranty Voiding by Association | Threatening warranty voiding for any service performed outside the dealer network. | Automotive |
| 8.3.7 | Telematics Data Lock-In for Repair | Restricting vehicle-generated diagnostic data to dealer networks. | Automotive |
10.3 Self-Exclusion Sabotage · 4 practices
Autonomy+ Care
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.3.1 | VIP Programs for Problem Gamblers | Extending VIP status, bonuses, and personalized hospitality to players whose loss patterns indicate addiction. | Gambling |
| 10.3.2 | Targeting Self-Excluded Users | Sending promotions or outreach to individuals on self-exclusion lists. | Gambling |
| 10.3.3 | Cessation-Sabotage Re-engagement | Using data indicating a quit attempt to target users with re-engagement offers. | Tobacco/vaping, gambling |
| 10.3.4 | Loyalty Programs for Addictive Products | Rewards, points, or discounts for repeat purchases of addictive products. | Tobacco/vaping, alcohol, gambling |
11.9 Non-Compete Overreach · 4 practices
Autonomy+ Responsibility
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11.9.1 | Overbroad Non-Compete | Imposing non-compete clauses that restrict career mobility beyond legitimate business interests. | Consulting, gaming, legal, music, mental health |
| 11.9.2 | Non-Compete on Low-Wage Workers | Imposing non-competes on hourly or low-wage workers to suppress turnover. | Private equity portfolio, staffing/temp |
| 11.9.3 | Multi-App Penalty | Penalizing or deactivating gig workers who work for competing platforms. | Food delivery, ride-hailing |
| 11.9.4 | Therapist Non-Compete | Enforcing non-competes that prevent therapists from continuing care with patients after leaving a platform. | Mental health |
11.16 Restrictions on Career Mobility · 4 practices
Autonomy+ Responsibility
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11.16.1 | Profile Data Lock-In | Preventing workers from exporting reviews, portfolios, or professional history when leaving a platform. | Freelance/gig |
| 11.16.2 | Customer-Data Hoarding from Workers | Preventing workers from accessing client contact information they need to build independent careers. | Freelance/gig, food delivery |
| 11.16.3 | Portfolio Rights Grab | Claiming ownership of employee or freelancer portfolio work beyond what is needed for delivery. | PR/marketing |
| 11.16.4 | Cross-Client Worker Profiling | Sharing worker performance data between clients to create informal blacklists. | Staffing/temp |
12.4 Tying & Forced Bundling · 4 practices
Autonomy+ Responsibility
| § | Practice | Description | Seen in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.4.1 | Tying Arrangements | Forcing purchase of unwanted products as a condition of obtaining the desired one. | Cloud/SaaS, agriculture (seed-herbicide), insurance |
| 12.4.2 | Default-Engine Payment for Exclusivity | Paying device manufacturers, browsers, or operating systems to set the platform as default, foreclosing competition. | Search engines |
| 12.4.3 | Search Monopoly Leverage into Adjacent Markets | Using dominant search to force adoption of complementary services. | Search engines |
| 12.4.4 | GPS Critical-Infrastructure Hostage | Leveraging society's dependence on positioning, navigation, and timing services to extract preferential terms or block redundancy. | Space/aerospace |