Consumer Ministry Flags ‘Dark Patterns’, Urges Tech Firms To Self-Audit

The Consumer Affairs Ministry recently held a meeting with major e-commerce and tech companies to address growing concerns over “dark patterns”.

Dark patterns are deceptive design tactics that mislead users into making unintended purchases or compromising their privacy.

Minister Pralhad Joshi emphasised that such practices are considered unfair under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and warned that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) will act on complaints.

The CCPA issued guidelines in 2023 to curb these tactics, which include methods like “basket sneaking,” where items are added to a user’s cart without consent.

Officials noted a spike in related complaints via the National Consumer Helpline and urged companies to conduct internal audits and remove such practices proactively to maintain consumer trust.

The meeting included firms like Amazon, Flipkart, Meta, Google, Paytm, Swiggy, Zomato, and Apple, among others, along with consumer groups and industry bodies.