In a positive development for consumer protection in India’s digital market, twenty-six major e-commerce platforms have voluntarily affirmed their compliance with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) Guidelines for the Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.
These platforms have conducted internal audits or enlisted third-party audits, confirming the absence of deceptive design elements known as “dark patterns” that manipulate users into making decisions against their best interests.
The CCPA has commended these platforms for their proactive steps and encourages other digital entities, including e-commerce marketplaces, service applications, and platform providers, to emulate this compliance.
This initiative signifies a significant advancement in overseeing the digital consumer landscape in India. The guidelines, enacted on November 30, 2023, under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, identify and prohibit thirteen specific dark patterns such as false urgency, basket sneaking, subscription traps, misleading wording, and disguised advertisements.
By voluntarily declaring their adherence to the guidelines, these companies emphasize the compatibility of consumer transparency and business growth. They highlight that ethical digital practices can foster brand trust and long-term credibility.
Notable companies among the 26 listed by CCPA include Flipkart, Myntra, Zomato, Swiggy, Meesho, BigBasket, and JioMart.
The CCPA issued an advisory on June 5, 2025, directing all e-commerce platforms and online service providers to conduct self-audits within three months and publish declarations on their websites for public access.
In addition to these efforts, CCPA-backed outreach initiatives, including the National Consumer Helpline (NCH), social media campaigns, informative videos, and educational programs, aim to empower consumers in recognizing dark patterns and lodging complaints when necessary.
The prohibited dark patterns encompass false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm-shaming, forced action, subscription traps, interface interference, bait and switch, drip pricing, disguised advertisements, nagging, misleading wording, SaaS-billing, and rogue malware.
Consumers can access the self-audit declarations of these companies on the CCPA website. Companies that have not yet submitted such declarations are urged to do so, with the possibility of closer regulatory scrutiny for non-compliance.
This voluntary compliance by prominent platforms is steering India’s digital market towards a more consumer-centric direction, challenging deceptive design tactics and unsavory user interface practices. It signifies increased transparency for consumers and clearer rules of engagement for businesses.