I agree. But there are a few things which I think make this a dark pattern: the modal pops up after scrolling far enough down that you’re absorbed in the conten

I agree. But there are a few things which I think make this a dark pattern: the modal pops up after scrolling far enough down that you’re absorbed in the content, the “continue reading” is not styled as a button, and is accompanied by a chevron to the right which implies navigation away from the current content (I want to scroll down, not go right).