Zepto, BookMyShow, IndiGo Among 9 Platforms Penalised for 'Dark Patterns'
For many Indians, online shopping has become a daily routine. But the price shown on the screen does not always match the final bill. Before payment, a handling fee may appear, a membership may get added, or a donation may already be ticked. These small additions often go unnoticed, but they can quietly add up across dozens of transactions.
Dark patterns are deceptive design techniques used on websites and apps to nudge users into choices they may not have intended. This could mean signing up for a subscription, sharing personal data, or paying more than the displayed price. The practice is widespread, and its cumulative cost to consumers can be significant.
The government is now acting against such practices. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has penalised nine digital platforms for using dark patterns. The action was informed to the Rajya Sabha.
Among the penalised platforms are well-known names such as Zepto, BookMyShow, IndiGo, and Physics Wallah.
Zepto, a quick-commerce platform, was found to have increased prices through handling charges and membership fees. The CCPA treated the handling charges as drip pricing — a practice where the full amount payable is not disclosed upfront. The automatic addition of membership was classified as basket sneaking. Zepto was fined Rs 7 lakh and has since discontinued the flagged practices.
BookMyShow, a movie-ticket platform, was directed to remove a pre-ticked Rs 1 contribution to its BookASmile charity initiative. The issue was not the amount, but the fact that the contribution was pre-selected, requiring the consumer to actively notice and remove it. The CCPA classified this as basket sneaking.
IndiGo, the airline, was pulled up for confirm shaming. Its app displayed a message saying "No I will take risk" when users opted out of an additional purchase. After the regulator's intervention, the wording was changed to the neutral "No, I will not add to the trip." The idea is that design should not make consumers feel guilty or pressured for rejecting an extra purchase.
Physics Wallah, an education platform, was fined Rs 5 lakh after it was found that a Rs 10 donation to its PW Foundation was automatically pre-selected. The regulator also objected to emotional messaging that encouraged users to keep the donation selected. Additionally, the platform required users to share personal information before accessing free courses. Physics Wallah has deposited the penalty and discontinued these practices.
Other platforms penalised include FirstCry, PharmEasy, McAfee, SpiceJet, and coaching platform Anuj Jindal. Penalties for these companies ranged from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. The practices flagged included hidden charges, forced subscriptions, misleading countdown timers, and manipulative subscription renewal prompts.
In total, the government said the CCPA has collected around Rs 20 lakh in penalties from companies violating dark-pattern guidelines since enforcement began.
These actions are based on India's Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, which identify 13 types of deceptive interface designs. These include false urgency, basket sneaking, subscription traps, drip pricing, confirm shaming, and trick questions. The guidelines are part of a broader effort to protect consumer rights in the digital economy.
