How often do you order online? It can be food, groceries, or even clothes. Now, when you open an app, choose a product, and check out, it all looks simple. But beneath that simplicity lies a complex battlefield. Some are good, some questionable, and some deliberately manipulative.
These manipulative design tricks are what we call dark patterns. Knowingly or unknowingly, these dark patterns have dictated how millions of Indian shoppers subscribe, cancel, and share their data online.
If you remember, there were strong discussions and debates happening across social media platforms and TV channels regarding these dark patterns. Many people raised their voices against these patterns played by startups and tech companies.
But something significant has changed. Recently, 26 leading e-commerce platforms in India have declared compliance after conducting self-audits to eliminate dark patterns. This comes after the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) rolled out the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, marking one of India’s strongest steps toward protecting digital consumer rights.
This is a great move, and we must understand this clearly and why this is important. Let’s dive deep into why dark patterns became a problem, what the 2023 Guidelines actually demand, how these practices harmed users, and why this crackdown is a genuine turning point for the digital ecosystem.
Now, before we dive deeper, let’s first understand what exactly dark patterns are. Dark patterns are design practices that undermine autonomy, decision-making, or choice. In simple terms, things that trick you into doing something you didn’t want to do. There is a higher chance that you see them every single day.
Fake countdown timers that restart every time you reopen the app, hard-to-find cancellation buttons, sudden fees added at the final payment step, auto-added items like insurance or add-ons you never selected.
Now, individually these all seem small, but think across millions of transactions, it becomes huge manipulation. As per the guidelines, these dark patterns are recognized in 13 types: false urgency, basket sneaking, drip pricing, confirm shaming, subscription traps, interface interference, bait-and-switch, forced action, disguised advertising, and several more.
Now, we need to understand why dark patterns became such a big problem. Earlier this wasn’t the case. But in the last decade, to showcase the growth and scale companies are attaining, they started focusing more on conversion. And when your goal is to increase conversion, you think of ways to reduce churn and boost retention. To attain that scale, they started using these dark patterns.
This also led to another serious concern in digital commerce. India’s digital ecosystem is massive and growing. But if users feel tricked or manipulated, it creates long-term distrust not only in the platform but in online transactions in general.
To control all of this, the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, were issued under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. They officially came into effect on 30 November 2023.
These guidelines apply to all digital platforms, all advertisers, all sellers or service providers, and anyone offering goods/services to consumers in India.
In response to the CCPA’s push for transparency, 26 leading digital platforms across e-commerce, food delivery, travel, health, beauty, and retail have now submitted self-audit declarations confirming compliance with the 2023 Guidelines on Dark Patterns.
The list includes major players such as Flipkart, Myntra, Cleartrip, Walmart, MakeMyTrip, JioMart, Ajio, Reliance Digital, Swiggy, Zomato, Blinkit, Zepto, BigBasket, Tata 1mg, Netmeds, Ixigo, and Meesho, along with category leaders like Page Industries (Jockey), William Penn, PharmEasy, Duroflex, Curaprox, Reliance Jewels, Hamleys, MilkBasket, and Tira Beauty.
These platforms have either conducted internal reviews or undergone third-party audits, with most declaring their user interfaces free of the 13 banned dark patterns.
Several companies, including Flipkart, Myntra, and Cleartrip, opted for independent audits, while others like JioMart, Reliance Retail brands, Swiggy, Zomato, and BigBasket have confirmed ongoing monitoring and consumer-centric redesigns.
Collectively, the declarations mark a major shift India’s biggest consumer-facing platforms publicly committing to transparent, informed, and manipulation-free digital experiences. The fact that major platforms have taken steps to comply is a powerful signal of what the next era of digital business in India will look like.
But what we should also think of is how they evolve in terms of marketing to attract attention. The next era of digital business in India won’t be driven by urgency tricks, confusing layouts, or hidden nudges. It will demand authentic storytelling, clearer value propositions, transparent pricing, cleaner UI, and truly consumer-first experiences.
That’s how you build a brand that not only gets revenue but also trust and loyalty.
Also Read: ECB Advances Real-Time Payment Integration with India’s UPI to Slash Cross-Border Costs
