NEW DELHI — The Central Consumer Protection Authority has penalised nine major digital platforms a collective total of Rs. 20 lakh for employing manipulative interface designs, commonly referred to as dark patterns, to mislead online consumers. Union government officials informed the Rajya Sabha that targeted regulatory enforcement aimed to curb deceptive practices such as hidden handling charges, pre-selected charity additions, forced subscriptions, and emotional manipulation across e-commerce, ticketing, travel, and educational services.
Detailed regulatory investigations revealed widespread non-compliance across multiple high-profile applications. Quick-commerce platform Zepto was fined Rs. 7 lakh for drip pricing and basket sneaking, where hidden handling charges and automatic membership enrolments artificially inflated initial checkout costs. Edtech company Physics Wallah paid a penalty of Rs. 5 lakh for auto-selecting Rs. 10 foundation donations and using coercive prompts to discourage opting out. Ticketing platform BookMyShow was ordered to remove pre-selected Rs. 1 charity additions, while airline operator IndiGo was directed to rewrite “confirm shaming” messages that pressured users into purchasing add-on travel options.
Additional penalties ranging between Rs. 1 lakh and Rs. 3 lakh were imposed on FirstCry, PharmEasy, McAfee, SpiceJet, and educational platform Anuj Jindal. Regulators cited infractions including artificial countdown timers, hidden service fees, and complex subscription renewal prompts designed to manipulate consumer decision-making. Federal authorities reiterated that enforcing the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, remains critical to eliminating deceptive user interface traps and ensuring full price transparency in digital transactions.
