40 5 - 18 February 2020
Don’t get caught andscammed bythe
web’s latest mouse traps. Wayne
Williams reveals all the things you
should avoid clicking and tapping on
the web, andexplains howto spot them
COVER
FEATURE
T
he way that the worldwide
web was conceived and is
structured means you won’t
get far without clicking on anything
(or tapping, if you’re using a
touchscreen). Unfortunately, for all
the wonderful websites you can
access with your mouse (or finger),
there are lots of things you should
keep your cursor well away from,
unless you want to infect your PC
with malware, hand over personal
data to scammers, flood your inbox
with spam or even end up in prison.Sadly, such ‘mouse traps’ are
becoming increasingly widespread,
and the tricks they use to lure you
into compromising your privacy and
security grow ever more devious.
In this feature, we highlight the
dangers, risks and traps that lurk on
the web, hidden behind innocuous-
looking links, buttons, tick boxes and
more, and explain how to spot them
and avoid clicking yourself into
trouble. We also explain how ‘dark
patterns’ can sneakily influence the
actions you take on the web.