🔍 Dark Radar

Detect manipulative UI dark patterns and reveal masked links in real-time

Features • Installation • Usage • Screenshots • Contributing • Support

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🎯 Features

🚨 Real-Time Dark Pattern Detection

• ⏰ Fake Countdowns - Identifies artificial time pressure from resetting timers
• ⚡ Forced Urgency - Detects manipulative language rushing your decisions
• 👁️ Hidden Unsubscribe - Finds intentionally obscured opt-out options
• 🎯 Misleading Buttons - Catches actions that don't match button labels
• ✅ Pre-selected Options - Highlights pre-checked boxes benefiting services
• 💰 Hidden Costs - Reveals additional fees buried in fine print

🔗 Advanced Link Analysis

• Risk Scoring - 0-100 risk rating with color-coded levels (Low/Medium/High)
• URL Unmasking - Detects shortened URLs (bit.ly, tinyurl, etc.)
• Tracking Detection - Identifies utm_, fbclid, gclid parameters
• Affiliate Tags - Reveals monetization schemes in links
• Redirect Chains - Warns about multiple redirects
• Hover Tooltips - Instant analysis on link hover (toggle on/off)

📊 Comprehensive Monitoring

• Popup Dashboard - Quick overview of current page detections
• Sidebar Panel - Detailed analysis with 3 tabs (Current/History/Stats)
• Auto-Refresh - Scans automatically on tab change
• Detection History - Track patterns across all visited sites
• Global Statistics - View totals, top patterns, and offending domains
• Export Reports - Download JSON reports of all detections

🔒 Privacy-First Design

• ✅ All scanning happens locally in your browser
• ✅ No data sent to external servers
• ✅ No tracking or analytics
• ✅ No account required
• ✅ Open source and auditable

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📥 Installation

Firefox Add-ons (Recommended)

1. Visit the Firefox Add-ons page
2. Click Add to Firefox
3. Confirm the installation
4. Start browsing protected!

Manual Installation (Development)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dakidarts/dark-radar.git
cd dark-radar

# Load in Firefox
# 1. Open Firefox and navigate to about:debugging
# 2. Click "This Firefox"
# 3. Click "Load Temporary Add-on"
# 4. Select manifest.json from the cloned directory

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🚀 Usage

Quick Start

1. Install the extension from Firefox Add-ons
2. Browse normally - Dark Radar works automatically in the background
3. Click the toolbar icon to view current page detections
4. Open sidebar with Ctrl+Shift+D (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+D (Mac)
5. Hover over links to see instant risk analysis

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Shift+D / Cmd+Shift+D	Open/close sidebar

Customization

Access settings via toolbar icon → Settings or sidebar → Settings button:

• ⚙️ Enable/disable real-time protection
• 🏷️ Toggle visual badges on detected patterns
• 🔔 Control browser notifications
• ⏱️ Adjust scan interval (1-60 seconds)
• 🎯 Enable/disable individual pattern types
• 🔗 Toggle link hover analysis
• 🗑️ Clear detection history and statistics

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🛠️ Technical Details

Architecture

dark-radar/
├── manifest.json          # Extension manifest (Firefox Manifest V2)
├── background.js          # Global statistics & message handling
├── content.js             # Page scanning & link analysis
├── content.css            # Injected styles for badges
├── popup.html/js/css      # Toolbar popup interface
├── sidebar.html/js/css    # Detailed sidebar panel
├── options.html/js/css    # Settings page
└── icons/                 # Extension icons (16-128px)

Tech Stack

• JavaScript - Vanilla ES6+ (no frameworks)
• CSS3 - Custom properties, animations
• Firefox WebExtensions API - browser.* namespace
• Font Awesome 6.5.1 - Icon library (CDN)

Security Features

• ✅ No innerHTML - Safe DOM manipulation only
• ✅ Content Security Policy enforced
• ✅ Input sanitization on all user data
• ✅ SSRF protection for URL resolution
• ✅ XSS prevention (no eval/dynamic code)
• ✅ Comprehensive error handling

Performance

• ⚡ Debounced scanning (500ms)
• ⚡ Efficient DOM queries
• ⚡ LRU cache for statistics
• ⚡ Minimal memory footprint (<500KB)

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

Reporting Issues

Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue

Pull Requests

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Development Setup

# Clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/dark-radar.git
cd dark-radar

# Create a feature branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature

# Make changes and test in Firefox
# Load temporary add-on from about:debugging

# Submit PR when ready

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📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

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💖 Support

If you find Dark Radar useful, consider supporting the project:

Connect With Us

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• Thanks to all contributors who help improve Dark Radar
• Inspired by the fight against deceptive design patterns
• Built with ❤️ for a more transparent web

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Made with ❤️ by @dakidarts

⭐ Star this repo if you find it useful!

Report Bug • Request Feature • Documentation