Govt. Strict on the Use of Dark Patterns, Online Companies Must Comply with Guidelines

New Delhi, 30 May 2025

Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi conducted a meeting with more than 50 e-commerce platforms and asked them to follow the government's guidelines on the use of Dark Patterns. He informed that all major e-commerce platform needs to follow the government guidelines. Not adhering to these guidelines will lead to strict actions by government.

For the unversed, Dark Patterns are deceptive user interfaces that lead consumers to take unwanted decisions. Dark Patterns, compels users to do something that he does not intend to do. After the meeting, Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said that the ministry will work on making a joint working group with stakeholders to monitor the use of dark patterns. The minister stressed on the need of governing digital marketplaces by fairness, transparency, and accountability.

Earlier in Nov. 2023 also the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, issued guidelines to curb 'dark patterns' on digital and offline platforms. The Central Consumer Protection Authority has sent notifications to 11 companies working in the fields of medicines, ticketing platforms etc. regarding the use of such patterns.

Some of the key attendees in the meeting were companies like Amazon, Flipkart, 1mg.com, Ola, Reliance Retail Limited, Swiggy, Zomato, Yatra, Uber, and Tata.