Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi
| Photo Credit:
ANI
The Department of Consumer Affairs on Wednesday asked all e-commerce platforms to ensure they are fully in compliance with guidelines for prevention and regulations of dark patterns. They have also been asked to do regular internal audits to identify and eliminate such deceptive patterns from their apps and sites.
This was communicated during a high-level stakeholder meeting chaired by Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi with all the leading e-commerce platforms across sectors.
Dark patterns are deceptive user interface designs that mislead or manipulate consumers into making unintended choices. The Ministry has identified 13 dark patterns including false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription traps, drip pricing, disguised ads, nagging, trick question, Saas billing, and rogue malware.
Speaking to reporters, Joshi said, “We have asked all e-commerce platforms to ensure there is full compliance with the dark pattern prevention guidelines and these should be integrated them in their internal governance and consumer protection mechanisms.” The Ministry has asked platforms not only to remove dark from their own website and apps but they also should ensure affiliate sellers and third party merchant sellers are also compliant with the guidelines.
“The platforms have been asked to do regular internal audits to identify and eliminate dark patterns from their sites and apps. Companies must not wait for the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to intervene. They should proactively recognize and remove these deceptive practices before notices are issued. This is not just regulatory compliance—it’s about building trust with consumers. Consumer interest is paramount and this message has been very firmly communicated,” he added.
This comes after the Ministry witnessed a significant surge in consumer complaints related to dark patterns on the National Consumer Helpline.
Joshi added that the e-commerce platforms have also been asked to review their platforms to ensure consumer centric designs. “ There should be clear cancellation and opt-out paths on their platforms. Consumers should not be trapped or misled into buying products or services or sharing data. The representatives of the e-commerce platforms have assured us that they will ensure they are compliant with these guidelines.”
The representatives of the major e-commerce companies that participated in the meeting included Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, Zepto, Booking.com, Ola Electric, Tata Digital, Adidas India, Samsung, Ikigai Law, Indigo Airlines, Ixigo, MakeMyTrip, Mastercard, Meta, Netmeds, Namma Yatri, PharmEasy, Reliance Retail, Rapido, Shiprocket, Snapdeal, Swiggy, Thomas Cook, Uber, Whatsapp, Yatra, Zomato & Blinkit, Flipkart, Google, Justdial, ONDC, and Paytm among others.
The Ministry has also proposed to form a joint working group on this issue in consultation with stakeholders. Since the notification of the guidelines, the Central Consumer Protection Authority has sent out 11 notices to players on dark pattern issues.
Published on May 28, 2025
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi
| Photo Credit:
ANI
The Department of Consumer Affairs on Wednesday asked all e-commerce platforms to ensure they are fully in compliance with guidelines for prevention and regulations of dark patterns. They have also been asked to do regular internal audits to identify and eliminate such deceptive patterns from their apps and sites.
This was communicated during a high-level stakeholder meeting chaired by Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi with all the leading e-commerce platforms across sectors.
Dark patterns are deceptive user interface designs that mislead or manipulate consumers into making unintended choices. The Ministry has identified 13 dark patterns including false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription traps, drip pricing, disguised ads, nagging, trick question, Saas billing, and rogue malware.
Speaking to reporters, Joshi said, “We have asked all e-commerce platforms to ensure there is full compliance with the dark pattern prevention guidelines and these should be integrated them in their internal governance and consumer protection mechanisms.” The Ministry has asked platforms not only to remove dark from their own website and apps but they also should ensure affiliate sellers and third party merchant sellers are also compliant with the guidelines.
“The platforms have been asked to do regular internal audits to identify and eliminate dark patterns from their sites and apps. Companies must not wait for the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) to intervene. They should proactively recognize and remove these deceptive practices before notices are issued. This is not just regulatory compliance—it’s about building trust with consumers. Consumer interest is paramount and this message has been very firmly communicated,” he added.
This comes after the Ministry witnessed a significant surge in consumer complaints related to dark patterns on the National Consumer Helpline.
Joshi added that the e-commerce platforms have also been asked to review their platforms to ensure consumer centric designs. “ There should be clear cancellation and opt-out paths on their platforms. Consumers should not be trapped or misled into buying products or services or sharing data. The representatives of the e-commerce platforms have assured us that they will ensure they are compliant with these guidelines.”
The representatives of the major e-commerce companies that participated in the meeting included Airbnb, Amazon, Apple, Zepto, Booking.com, Ola Electric, Tata Digital, Adidas India, Samsung, Ikigai Law, Indigo Airlines, Ixigo, MakeMyTrip, Mastercard, Meta, Netmeds, Namma Yatri, PharmEasy, Reliance Retail, Rapido, Shiprocket, Snapdeal, Swiggy, Thomas Cook, Uber, Whatsapp, Yatra, Zomato & Blinkit, Flipkart, Google, Justdial, ONDC, and Paytm among others.
The Ministry has also proposed to form a joint working group on this issue in consultation with stakeholders. Since the notification of the guidelines, the Central Consumer Protection Authority has sent out 11 notices to players on dark pattern issues.
Published on May 28, 2025
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It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution
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