They’re annoying, and they seem to be everywhere.

You might see something like this on social media: Ads promising free cash and government grants. One viewer is asking Amy Davis how to know if these are legit.

It’s an ad airing frequently on Houston airwaves this election season, targeting Harris County’s Democratic judges and one that caught Houston mayor Sylvester Turner’s attention, as well.

Many of us are exposed to annoying pop-ups that are difficult to close and manipulative consents that try to trick us into paying for things we don’t want to buy. Federal regulators are now looking into these practices called “dark patterns.”