New Delhi: In a significant crackdown, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has penalised nine digital platforms for using ‘dark patterns’ — design practices that can influence or mislead consumers into making certain choices.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MoCA) said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the CCPA has stepped up efforts to tackle unfair practices in digital marketplace, and collected around Rs 20 lakh in penalties from companies which were found to violate the dark pattern guidelines.
The companies, across sectors including aviation, e-commerce, quick commerce, edtech and cybersecurity, have been directed to stop such practices.
There are 13 types of misleading online practices identified by the Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns Guidelines, 2023. Designed to influence consumer choices, these include false urgency, basket sneaking, drip pricing, subscription traps, confirm shaming and trick questions.
Last year, CCPA had issued an advisory asking e-commerce platforms to conduct self audits and identify any possible dark pattern on their platforms.
Zepto Marketplace was hit the hardest – Rs 7 lakh.
Physics Wallah was fined Rs 5 lakh, Anuj Jindal Rs 3 lakh, FirstCry Rs 2 lakh, PharmaEasy Rs 1 lakh, McAfee Rs 1 lakh, SpiceJet Rs 1 lakh.
There was no monetary penalty on BookMyShow, but the popular ticketing platform was directed to remove a pre-ticked Rs 1 contribution to its charitable initiative, BookASmile, as the CCPA flagged it as basket sneaking.
As for IndiGo, the airline’s mobile app had to be modified after the CCPA objected to a confirm-shaming prompt. The opt-out message ‘No I will take risk’ was replaced with ‘No, I will not add to the trip’ following the regulator’s intervention.
