Australia's Federal Court has ruled that US dating platform eHarmony engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by luring customers into costly automatic subscription renewals without adequate disclosure. Justice Christopher Horan found the company violated Australian consumer law in six areas, including falsely implying free memberships allowed full communication and obscuring the fact that premium plans auto-renewed at higher, non-discounted prices — affecting nearly 45,000 users between 2019 and 2024. The case, brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), matters because it signals that regulators are increasingly willing to pursue tech companies over so-called 'dark patterns' — design tactics that manipulate consumer choices — with penalties and remedies still to be determined.