In a decisive step toward protecting digital consumers, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued a directive mandating all e-commerce platforms in India to conduct self-audits within three months to identify and eliminate “dark patterns”—design tactics that manipulate users into making unintended choices online.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs announced the move on Saturday, calling on companies to not only review their interfaces but also submit self-declarations confirming the absence of such deceptive techniques. The initiative seeks to establish a more ethical and transparent digital ecosystem that builds long-term consumer confidence.
To support enforcement, a Joint Working Group (JWG) has been formed, comprising members from regulatory bodies, national law universities, ministries, and consumer organizations. The group will monitor compliance, suggest public awareness campaigns, and share periodic findings with the government.
India officially became the first country to issue comprehensive guidelines to combat dark patterns with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, introduced in November 2023. These rules recognize 13 manipulative practices including:
- False Urgency: Misleading users into quick decisions by faking limited availability
- Basket Sneaking: Auto-adding items like donations or insurance without user consent
- Confirm Shaming: Using guilt-laden language to influence behavior
- Subscription Traps: Making subscriptions easy to start but difficult to cancel
- Drip Pricing: Revealing hidden charges only at the last stage of checkout
- Disguised Ads: Promotional content made to appear as organic or unbiased
Companies that violate these rules have already been served notices by the CCPA.
At a recent high-level meeting chaired by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi on May 29, over 50 industry leaders—including representatives from Google, Amazon, Apple, Flipkart, Swiggy, and Paytm—discussed compliance strategies alongside industry bodies like FICCI, NASSCOM, and CAIT.
As part of the crackdown, the government also launched three tech tools developed with IIT-BHU as part of the 2023 Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon:
- Jagriti App: Enables users to report misleading online practices
- Jago Grahak Jago App: Offers real-time safety ratings for e-commerce links
- Jagriti Dashboard: A back-end monitoring tool for regulators
Officials emphasized that the intention is not to hinder digital commerce but to ensure that growth in the sector is aligned with ethical standards and consumer rights.
This landmark move reinforces India’s position as a global pioneer in enforcing digital fairness and consumer protection in the e-commerce space.
