Central The Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued an important advice to all e-commerce companies operating in the country. It states that e-commerce platforms will have to eliminate the “dark pattern” being used on their websites and apps. Dark patterns are misleading designs tricks to mislead consumers by deception. The CCPA has said that companies will have to self-audit within three months to identify and remove dark patterns. After this audit, companies will also have to do a self -declaration that there are no such dark patterns on their platforms. CCPA believes that such self declaimers will increase confidence between consumers and e-commerce companies and will bring more honesty and transparency in the digital market.
JWG formed
The Department of Consumer Affairs has formed a joint work group (JWG) to curb the increasing trend of dark patterns. The group includes representatives of various ministries, regulators, consumer organizations and national law universities. The main task of JWG is to monitor the use of dark patterns on e-commerce platforms and to inform the Department of Consumer Affairs from time to time. Also, this group will suggest programs to make consumers aware of such misleading methods.
Ola and Uber had notice
Last month, Union Consumer Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi also held a meeting with more than 50 e-commerce companies for the increasing use of dark patterns. During this time, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh Joshi clarified that this is not a small problem, but it is being done in a planned manner. He has given strict instructions to all the platforms to not only follow these rules themselves, but also prevent third-party merchants on their platforms from using such misleading methods. Recently, CCPA has also issued notices to cab service apps, such as Uber and Ola, about their “advanced tip” feature, which is considered an example of dark patterns.
What are dark patterns?
The Dark Pattern website or the UI/UX (user interface and user experience) has hidden designs or methods, whose primary purpose is to deception consumers. These methods are often made in such a way that customers inadvertently choose a service, give additional fee, or do something they did not really want. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs is trying to actively curb these misleading designs. In this sequence, detailed guidelines were also issued in 2023 to prevent dark patterns and regulate them.
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