Introduction

Welcome to the Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon (DPBH) 2023! This event calls upon bright minds to tackle the deceptive tactics found in e-commerce platforms through technological innovation. Before you dive into the problem-solving arena, there are some important guidelines and rules to follow. These are designed to maintain a fair, inclusive, and productive environment where all participants can focus on innovating. Read through them carefully, and let's work together to create solutions for a more transparent and user-friendly e-commerce experience!

Team Formation

• Team Size:
  A team should include 2 to 5 eager participants. Diversity in skills and educational backgrounds can enrich your team's perspective and innovation.
• Mentorship:
  Each team is required to have a mentor. Mentors, with their experience and knowledge, can provide guidance, keeping the team on the right path and helping overcome obstacles.
• Female Participation:
  We strongly advocate for inclusivity; thus, the presence of at least one female team member is highly encouraged to promote gender diversity.
• Team Leader Responsibilities:
  The team leader acts as the main point of contact and is responsible forsubmitting ideas, ensuring originality, and managing communications. Choose a team leader who is organized, responsible, and proactive.
• Team Name:
  Select a unique and creative team name that represents your spirit and identity. This name will be used in all official communications and publications.

Submission Rounds

• First Round: Idea Submission
• Presentation: Prepare a concise yet comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (max 10 slides) that outlines your main idea, methodology, potential impact, and tentative execution plan.
• Abstract & Detailed Description: Write an engaging abstract (up to 10,000 characters) to summarize your idea. The detailed description (up to 50,000 characters) should explain your concept, innovation, feasibility, and scalability aspects.
  
• Video Demonstration (Optional): A video (hosted on YouTube or a similar platform) can make your submission stand out. It should visually present your idea, enthusiasm, and any preliminary work or research.
  
• Supporting Documents (Optional): Any research papers, data analyses, or relevant articles that strengthen your proposal can be included here. Submissions are evaluated based on innovation, feasibility, scalability, and the potential impact on e-commerce practices. Selected teams will receive a confirmation email for the next round.
  
• Second Round: Prototype Presentation
  Teams advance to this round will need to present their prototypes or detailed designs. This stage allows judges to assess the functionality, user experience, and potential of the proposed solutions in real-world scenarios.
• Final Round: Complete Solution Showcase
  The climax of the competition, where finalists present their polished, fully functional solutions to a panel of experts at IIT-BHU. This product should be an end-to-end solution ready for real-world challenges.

Submission Guidelines (not required in the first round)

• Project Hosting:
Upload your code to GitHub or a similar platform. It ensures transparency and allows jurors to delve into the codebase, assess your coding skills, and understand your solution's architecture.
• Browser Extension Submission:
If applicable, make your extension available on browser stores or provide files for manual installation, enabling easy accessibility for testing.
• Demos & Tutorials:
Visual guides or tutorials, explaining the usage and benefits of your solution, can be instrumental in conveying its value to the jury.
• Comprehensive Documentation:
Your submission should include clear, detailed documentation. This guide should cover every aspect of your solution, including setup, features, potential use cases, and any limitations.


Rules & Regulations:

• To maintain the integrity of the competition and ensure fairness among participants, the following rules have been established. Adherence to these is mandatory: Prohibition on Commercial LLMs:
• The deployment of commercial Large Language Models (LLMs) such as Chat GPT, BARD, and Claude in the proposed solutions is strictly prohibited. Allowance for Open-Source Weights:
• While commercial LLMs are restricted, participants are free to utilize open-source pre-trained LLM weights. Approved models include LLAMA and Vicunia. Ensure you adhere to their licensing agreements and usage guidelines. Third-Party Application Restrictions:
• The use of any third-party applications, plugins, or extensions in the solution is strictly prohibited. Indigenous Development:
• Solutions should be developed indigenously. It's essential that the core functionalities are built from the ground up by the participants, ensuring originality and innovation. Intellectual Property:
• All submitted solutions must be the original work of the participating teams. Plagiarism or unauthorized use of another developer's work will result in immediate disqualification. Submission Integrity:
• Ensure that your submission is complete and functions as described in your documentation. The jury will evaluate based on the submitted version, and no modifications will be allowed post-submission. Confidentiality:
• Respect the confidentiality of the hackathon process. Sharing or discussing evaluations, jury feedback, or comparing solutions with other participants during the evaluation phase is not allowed. Code of Conduct:
• Participants are expected to maintain a professional and respectful demeanour throughout the hackathon. Any form of harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate behaviour will lead to disqualification. Decision Finality:
• The decisions of the hackathon organizers and jury are final and binding. Feedback may be provided, but there will be no avenue for contesting the decisions. We urge all participants to closely follow these rules. Adherence ensures a level playing field and maintains the credibility of the competition.