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The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed penalties totalling Rs 20 lakh on e-commerce and digital platforms found engaging in deceptive online practices, or "dark patterns", while the government has strengthened the regulatory framework to protect consumers from unfair trade practices in the digital marketplace.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution B.L. Verma said the Department of Consumer Affairs has strengthened consumer protection through the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020. The minister said the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) had also issued the "Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023" on November 30, 2023, to regulate deceptive practices on digital platforms. According to the written reply, "These guidelines address and regulate 13 specific dark patterns identified in the e-commerce sector, aiming to prevent deceptive practices that mislead consumers." The government said the prohibited practices include false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription trap, drip pricing, disguised advertisements and trick questions, among others. The minister further informed Parliament that the CCPA issued an advisory on June 5, 2025, asking e-commerce platforms to undertake self-audits to detect dark patterns and promote a fair, ethical and consumer-centric digital ecosystem. The written reply stated, "Subsequent to the Guidelines for the Prevention Dark Pattern 2023, CCPA has taken action against E-commerce platforms engaging in dark patterns and imposed a penalty to the tune of Rs. 20 Lakh." The reply listed enforcement actions against several companies across sectors. These included penalties against coaching platform Anuj Jindal for creating false urgency, FirstCry for alleged drip pricing, PharmaEasy for automatically adding membership plans to consumers' carts, Zepto for drip pricing and basket sneaking, McAfee for interface designs that restricted consumer choice, and Physics Wallah for pre-selected donations and other deceptive practices. It also detailed interventions involving IndiGo, BookMyShow and SpiceJet, among others, resulting in corrective measures and discontinuation of the identified dark patterns. The government also highlighted that consumers can seek redress through the three-tier Consumer Commissions established under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, while complaints can also be lodged at the pre-litigation stage through the National Consumer Helpline (NCH) and the INGRAM portal. The minister said, "The National Consumer Helpline (NCH) administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs has emerged as a single point of access to consumers across the country for their grievance redressal at a pre-litigation stage."(ANI)
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