That's not evil, quite the opposite - you don't bother the user and ask them for the required information until the very moment it's needed. It's called gradua

That's not evil, quite the opposite - you don't bother the user and ask them for the required information until the very moment it's needed. It's called gradual engagement and I consider it good practice. What's structurally similar to this and definitely a dark pattern is letting the user work towards their goal and at the end tell them suddenly they have to pay for the result. That would be evil. Gradual engagement as you describe it is not.