Centre to meet e-commerce industry stakeholders on May 28 to address rising dark patterns

Centre to meet e-commerce industry stakeholders on May 28 to address rising dark patterns

The Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs has called a high-level meeting with major e-commerce and quick commerce platforms on May 28 to address rising concerns over “dark patterns”—deceptive online design tactics that mislead users into making unintended choices.

The meeting, to be chaired by Union Minister Pralhad Joshi in New Delhi, will see participation from a wide range of companies across sectors like food delivery, pharmacy, cosmetics, travel, fashion, retail and electronics.

These include companies like Amazon, Flipkart, 1mg, Apple, BigBasket, Meesho, Meta, MakeMyTrip, Paytm, Ola, Reliance Retail, Swiggy, Zomato, Yatra, Uber, Tata, EaseMyTrip, Cleartrip, IndiaMart, IndiGo, ixigo, JustDial, Medika Bazaar, Netmeds, ONDC, Thomas Cook, and WhatsApp.

Dark patterns refer to manipulative design practices embedded in websites and apps that influence users into actions such as unplanned purchases, unwanted subscriptions, or sharing personal data.

Common examples include false urgency (“only 1 left in stock”), basket sneaking (auto-adding items at checkout), confirm shaming (“Are you sure you want to miss out?”), forced actions, and bait-and-switch offers. These tactics, increasingly visible on e-commerce and quick commerce platforms, have drawn regulatory ire for undermining consumer autonomy and fair competition.

The stakeholder meeting will also include National Law Universities, consumer advocacy groups, and policy think tanks. The ministry aims to build consensus around enforcement mechanisms and explore the use of technology to detect and eliminate such practices.

In November 2023, the Department of Consumer Affairs issued guidelines identifying 13 dark patterns and directed platforms to ensure compliance. These include subscription traps, disguised ads, nagging prompts, trick questions, and rogue malware tactics.

The government followed up with consumer awareness campaigns and a nationwide “Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon” in collaboration with IIT-BHU. The hackathon led to the creation of three consumer protection apps launched on National Consumers Day 2024.

While several platforms have committed to voluntary compliance, the government’s move to convene this meeting signals a potential tightening of oversight. Officials have said consumer rights and ease of doing business must go hand-in-hand—and that the integrity of digital commerce depends on building transparent and fair marketplaces.

The meeting outcome could shape how digital platforms design user experiences going forward—and determine how strictly dark patterns are policed in India’s booming online economy.