{{Short description|Term in the context of computing}} thumb|right|A web page menu showing which preferences are in effect. By using a mouse or graphical pointer, a user can move a cursor over selected terms, and un-check or ''unclick'' them, if the software permits it. [[File:Checkbox States.svg|thumb|right|A checkbox is a graphical user interface element in which a computer user can make multiple selections from an array of options.]] [[File:VirtualBox Windows Chicago 11 11 2023 10 43 00 radio buttons.png|thumb|right|A user generally cannot ''unclick'' a radio button; one option must be selected.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Flanagan |first1=David |title=JavaScript: The Definitive Guide |date=2002 |publisher=O'Reilly Media, Inc. |isbn=978-0-596-00048-6 |page=638 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJGlu9t9LNYC |language=en}}</ref>]] In computer interface design, to '''unclick''' is to deselect a specific preference,<ref name=twsG46>{{cite news |author= James Coates |title= Quickly make icons as pretty as a picture |newspaper= Chicago Tribune |quote= <!---After unclicking, everything works fine until I must reboot. Then the process must be redone.---> |date= August 27, 2001 |url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-08-27/business/0108270010_1_change-icon-windows-desktop-windows-media-player/2 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150515104932/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-08-27/business/0108270010_1_change-icon-windows-desktop-windows-media-player/2 |url-status= dead |archive-date= May 15, 2015 |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref><ref name=twsD43>{{cite news |author= TARA SIEGEL BERNARD |title= MarketRiders Tweaks Its Investment Mix |newspaper= The New York Times |quote= <!---If you unclick the button that says ...---> |date= September 1, 2011 |url= http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/marketriders-tweaks-its-investment-mix/ |accessdate= 2012-01-04 }}</ref> typically by tapping a selected checkbox with a finger or cursor. As a result, the check mark image or dark circle inside the box is removed.
==Background== As the Internet becomes an increasingly popular medium for marketers, vendors and marketers often presume that a user will prefer certain choices,<ref name=twsG62>{{cite news |author= JASON FRY |title= Thoughts on Kids and the Net: Readers Offer Thoughts on When Children Should Be Introduced to the Digital World |newspaper= Wall Street Journal |quote= <!---I removed all icons on the desktop except a couple -- e.g., Firefox as the browser, and that without the URL line (unclick navigation toolbar). ---> |date= March 31, 2008 |url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB120689967537175059 |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref><ref name=twsG61>{{cite news |author= Lee Dembart |title= the end user / A voice for the consumer : You, on radio |newspaper= The New York Times |quote= <!---The easiest way to break it of this bad habit is to reinstall RealOne (assuming that you need to keep it for other applications), choose "custom installation," and when you're given a choice about associations, unclick everything. ---> |date= August 26, 2002 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/26/business/worldbusiness/26iht-itend26_ed3_.html |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref> such as receiving emails in the future, having specific computer settings, or preferring that specific programs will be operational when a computer is turned on. As a result, it is sometimes necessary for a user to ''unclick'' these choices<ref name=twsD36>{{cite news |author= North American Precis Syndicate NJ.com |title= Steering Clear Of Deceptive Online Marketing |work= nj.com |quote= <!---Often consumers are required to "unclick" or "opt out" of a prechecked terms and condition or payment authorization box to avoid being billed a recurring monthly charge at the end of the product's trial period. ... Pay particular attention to any preclicked boxes before submitting payment card information for an order. Failure to unclick boxes may bind the consumer to all of those terms and conditions. ---> |date= January 4, 2010 |url= http://blog.nj.com/north_american_precis_syndicate/2010/01/steering_clear_of_deceptive_online_marketing.html |accessdate= 2012-01-04 }}</ref> to avoid exposure to unwanted advertising,<ref name=twsD44>{{cite news |author= Brian Bergstein, AP Technology Editor |title= How can I make my computer run faster, for free? |newspaper= USA Today |quote= <!---Find the box that tells the program to automatically begin running at startup, and unclick it.---> |date= October 1, 2008 |url= https://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-10-01-1355234940_x.htm |accessdate= 2012-01-04 }}</ref> or to avoid a situation in which a different website is chosen for one's home page.<ref name=twsG51>{{cite news |author= Rob Freeman |title= Click Tips: Making XP look like Vista |work= BBC News |quote= <!---Although pay attention, because this application will change your homepage to Yahoo unless you unclick this box. I have said it before, this is not something Yahoo should be doing.---> |date= 25 September 2007 |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/mobile/programmes/click_online/7012126.stm |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref>
In Internet marketing, ''unclicking'' is often required for a user to avoid being billed automatically for unnecessary services, sometimes part of a deceptive business practice termed negative option billing. A user's Facebook privacy settings have often been chosen in advance by Facebook Inc., which presumes that a user would like particular settings, and to un-choose these options, a user may need to ''unclick'' or opt-out of the Facebook-determined choices by finding the right menus.<ref name=twsD42>{{cite news |author= Shannon Montgomery, of The Canadian Press |title= Lawsuit says Facebook changes sold as making info secure had opposite effect |work= The Star |quote= <!---If users don’t want that to happen, they have to go into their settings and unclick a number of different boxes in several different windows.---> |date= July 2, 2010 |url= https://www.thestar.com/mobile/canada/article/831597 |accessdate= 2012-01-04 }}</ref> According to behavioral economics, computer and Internet users have a general tendency to go along with a default setting.
{{Further|Opt-out}}
==Other contexts== The term ''unclick'' has also been used in other contexts, such as when there is a latching or locking mechanism, such as a lock on a briefcase,<ref name=twsG63>{{cite news |author= John Miller |title= Life Is Adventure: Postcards from Rio de Janeiro |publisher= Brazzil |quote= <!---My passport is in my briefcase, so I bend over and unclick the briefcase. "Click . Click". ---> |date= December 1998 |url= http://www.brazzil.com/p40dec98.htm |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref> or seat belts in a car<ref name=twsG52>{{cite news |author= The Gazette (Montreal) |title= FJ Cruiser makes landfall |publisher= Canada.com |quote= <!---To avoid a surprise squeeze, however, those in front must remember to unclick their seat belts when taking on passengers.---> |date= April 19, 2006 |url= http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=ec00fb90-6c2b-469c-93c4-6d7e3a14286d&sponsor= |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref><ref name=twsG45>{{cite news |author= Cynthia Lee |title= New Jersey car seat laws: Which seat is best for your child? |newspaper= The Star-Ledger |quote= <!---The state suggests that once my son turns 4, he can graduate from his current forward-facing car seat to a booster seat. But the thought of my son in a booster seat with the ability to unclick at his own whims scares me. ---> |date= October 14, 2011 |url= http://www.nj.com/parenting/guest_bloggers/index.ssf/2011/09/new_jersey_car_seat_laws_which.html |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref> or airplane,<ref name=twsG54>{{cite news |author= Ron Alexander |title= Metropolitan Diary |newspaper= The New York Times |quote= <!---This morning I board sleek Washington shuttle aloft and there before we can unclick safety belts;---> |date= December 18, 1991 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1991/12/18/garden/metropolitan-diary-010891.html |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref> or door lock,<ref name=twsG53>{{cite news |author= Burnaby Now |title= If the shoe fits: Christmas came early for the trio of Sandra McLellan, Sarah Dadey and Jason McLellan |publisher= canada.com |quote= <!---As Whynder continues talking, we hear the doors unclick open and the unmistakable slap of flip-flops on the down stairs.---> |date= April 28, 2009 |url= http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=500315e3-a4f1-4011-b2d4-300952283871&sponsor= |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref> or other mechanisms which typically make a "clicking" sound. In these contexts, ''unclicking'' means to open the latch or seat belt. It has also been used in the context of guns, in which a safety catch is "unclicked",<ref name=twsG55>{{cite news |author= Arundhati Roy |title= Gandhi, but with guns: Part Five |newspaper= The Guardian |quote= <!---As we start walking, Niti and Sukhdev casually, but simultaneously, unclick the safety catches of their AKs. It's the first time I've seen them do that. ---> |date= 26 March 2010 |url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/mar/27/arundhati-roy-india-tribal-maoists-5 |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref> or flooring materials in which pieces are interlocked,<ref name=twsG71>{{cite news |author= Adele Evans |title= It's underfoot, but important: Floor: An upgrade can make a home distinctive, but choosing the right material and pattern doesn't come easy. |newspaper= Baltimore Sun |quote= <!---One criticism has been that if a laminate is damaged, the entire floor must be ripped up. Not true now, said Riley of BHK Laminates. With newer, glueless laminates that interlock, just unclick the pieces until the damaged ones are reached, and click in new pieces.---> |date= October 14, 2001 |url= https://www.baltimoresun.com/2001/10/14/its-underfoot-but-important/ |access-date= 2012-01-07 }}</ref> The term has been used to describe the act of answering a cell phone by pressing on a button when it is ringing.<ref name=twsG64>{{cite news |author= Lynn Hirschberg |title= The Samaha Formula for Hollywood Success |newspaper= The New York Times |quote= <!---dialing the number. ''He's my oldest friend in L.A.'' Samaha watches the Rock unclick his cell.---> |date= May 14, 2000 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/14/magazine/the-samaha-formula-for-hollywood-success.html?pagewanted=all |accessdate= 2012-01-07 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
Category:Direct marketing Category:Information privacy Category:Computing terminology