The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has taken a strong stance against deceptive online practices by penalising nine digital platforms including IndiGo, Zepto, FirstCry, Physics Wallah and SpiceJet for deceptive 'dark patterns' that can influence consumer behaviour. They were found to breach consumer protection laws by misleading user interface designs that influence purchasing decisions or subscriptions without users' informed consent, the Rajya Sabha was told.
The move is one of the more important steps taken by India to create a safer and more transparent digital marketplace. With online shopping, travel booking and digital education becoming all too common, regulators are stepping in to ensure consumers’ perception of online shopping, travel booking and online education is not misleading as they are not being told they are being misled by good interfaces with business growth at the expense of consumer decisions.
What are dark patterns?
Dark patterns are user interface designs that are purposefully designed to influence consumers into making decisions that may not have been made otherwise. These include the need to push users into subscriptions, keep additional charges hidden until the last payment page, make things seem urgent through countdown timers or make it so hard to cancel services.
India’s Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 identifies 13 different forms of deceptive interface designs. These include false urgency, basket sneaking, subscription traps, drip pricing, confirm shaming and trick questions or misleading wording. Such tactics can distort consumer choice by making certain actions easier while hiding or complicating others.
Government's Crackdown Intensifies
The CCPA already issued an advisory in June 2025 to e-commerce firms to conduct self-audits and remove dark patterns from their platforms. The advisory also advised businesses to immediately review their user interface and make sure that they were in accordance with consumer protection regulations.
According to the government, the regulator has since collected nearly Rs 20 lakh in penalties against companies that violate the guidelines. The enforcement action signals that authorities are moving beyond advisories and are now willing to impose financial penalties on businesses that continue to engage in misleading digital practices.
Consumer advocates feel this kind of strict approach is needed as digital transactions take place in daily existence with millions of consumers in travel, food delivery, education and online retail.
Experts stress Transparency And Consumer Trust
The former FSSAI Director Pradip Chakraborty highlighted another important part of consumer protection in the digital age—product information. He told Times Now Digital that e-commerce and quick commerce platforms must improve the visibility of manufacturing and expiry dates on products.
He said that according to Section 53 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, penalties for misleading advertisements can be up to Rs 10 lakh and regulators have much work to do in order to ensure accurate product disclosure on the online marketplace.
IT expert and CSIS Senior Fellow Jayant Krishna cited hidden charges, compulsory subscriptions, countdown timers and manipulative renewal prompts as examples of unfair business practices. According to him, such tactics undermine informed consumer choice and justify regulatory intervention. The CCPA is fully within its authority to penalise the companies involved in such deceptive practices, he said.
When Growth Metrics Override Ethics
Dr. Sanjay Arora, a marketing consultant and global market researcher, also discussed dark patterns in organisations and what can be done for them to grow in response. It’s not that companies deliberately try to deceive consumers, he said. Instead, the problem occurs when they are set up with growth targets and in conversion optimisation projects and A/B testing, but their focus is on short-term performance rather than long-term customer confidence.
He said successful conversion experiments can increase sales, but can also undermine brand credibility if ethical considerations are overlooked. His remarks all indicate something that digital companies need to do– to balance commercial objectives with transparent customer experience.
Consumers want a faster experience without sacrificing information.
Health advocate and FoodPharmer founder Revant Himatsingka also highlighted the need for transparent product information on digital platforms. He said consumers should never have to choose between convenience and essential information.
According to him, every online product listing should clearly display ingredients, nutritional information, manufacturing date, expiry date, allergen details and net quantity before purchase. Even the most basic data like calorie counts or ingredient lists are hard to find on some platforms, making it hard for consumers to make informed decisions, he added.
A Greater Push for Ethical Digital Commerce
The recent enforcement action by the CCPA sends a clear message that deceptive digital design practices will be subject to increased regulatory scrutiny in India. Online commerce is growing quite rapidly and businesses will need to adopt consumer-friendly interfaces rather than resorting to manipulative strategies to drive conversion.
The penalties for consumers only reinforce the need to read through online purchase and subscription terms before completing transactions and check-out pages. For companies, ethical design practices are just as important as competitive pricing and fast delivery to maintain long-term customer loyalty in the digital space in India.
