Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi will chair a high-level stakeholders’ meeting on Wednesday to address growing concerns over “dark patterns”—deceptive design practices that manipulate consumer behavior on e-commerce platforms.
Dark patterns refer to misleading user interface designs that trick consumers into making unintended decisions. These tactics undermine consumer trust, disrupt fair market practices, and pose a serious threat to the integrity of digital commerce.
The Department of Consumer Affairs has identified 13 major types of dark patterns prevalent across e-commerce platforms. These include False Urgency, Basket Sneaking, Confirm Shaming, Forced action, Subscription trap, Interface interference, Bait and Switch, Drip Pricing, Disguised advertisement, Nagging, Trick question, Saas Billing, and Rogue Malwares.
The meeting which also aims to explore more effective solutions to tackle the issue will witness participation from major e-commerce players across various sectors, including food (BigBasket, Swiggy, Zomato), travel (MakeMyTrip, Paytm, Ola, Yatra, Uber, EaseMyTrip, Clear Trip), cosmetics, pharmacy (1mg.com, Netmeds, Medika Bazaar), retail (Reliance Retail Limited), clothing, and electronics (Amazon, Flipkart, Apple). Other significant participants include Meta, IndiaMart, IndiGo Airlines, xigo, JUSTDIAL, ONDC, Thomas Cook, and WhatsApp.
“Key industry organisations, as well as Voluntary Consumer Organisations (VCOs) and leading National Law Universities (NLUs) will also be active participants in this meeting. Their insights, research, and regulatory perspectives will provide valuable input into shaping robust and enforceable solutions,” the ministry said in a statement.
The Department of Consumer Affairs emphasises that this extensive industry participation is crucial for advancing consumer rights and ensuring a transparent and trustworthy marketplace.
Additionally, the Ministry is proactively working to curb these unfair trade practices, which erode consumer trust and distort fair market dynamics.
In November 2023, the department issued comprehensive guidelines identifying 13 prominent dark patterns, such as False Urgency, Basket Sneaking, and Subscription Traps.
Furthermore, the Department launched the Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon in 2023, leading to the development of three consumer protection apps in collaboration with IIT (BHU). The department has also been actively monitoring e-commerce platforms and conducting consumer awareness campaigns.
The Ministry underscored that consumer protection and ease of doing business are complementary goals.
This upcoming stakeholder meeting exemplifies the government’s participatory approach to governance, aiming to strengthen the regulatory ecosystem while promoting a level playing field for businesses. The focus remains on fostering a digital marketplace governed by fairness, transparency, and accountability, where consumer safety is paramount.
