digital habits – curious digital

Dark patterns are a Canadian legal problem now

July 12, 2026

4:03 p.m.Claude responded: A puppet on strings — a visual metaphor for manipulation through deceptive design patterns.A puppet on strings; a visual metaphor for manipulation through deceptive design patterns.

Canada’s privacy regulator reviewed 145 Canadian sites in 2024. Ninety-nine percent had at least one dark pattern. Here is what the OPC found and five things to audit on your own.

When AI brings the dead back

June 13, 2026May 27, 2026

Illustration of a woman sitting on a sofa with a laptop, facing a large smartphone screen showing a ghost-like figure sending chat messages.

AI can now recreate deceased loved ones. Here’s what grief tech is.

When apps think for you

June 13, 2026May 21, 2026

The apps are convenient. But every shortcut is quietly training your brain to stop thinking for itself.

When personalization shrinks the world

June 13, 2026May 17, 2026

Illustration of a woman with short silver hair and glasses sitting on a blue sofa, looking down at a smartphone in her hands.

One click. That’s all it took for my feed to decide who I am.

Living in the contradiction

June 13, 2026May 16, 2026

An illustration split into two contrasting halves: on the left, a detailed red robot on a red background marked with a large yellow 'X'; on the right, a detailed blue robot on a yellow background marked with a large green checkmark.

A personal look at the contradiction of AI as both loss and creative possibility.