Inside India’s Dark Pattern Crackdown: Why Zepto, BookMyShow And Others Are Under CCPA Scanner

The next time a consumer clicks “buy”, “subscribe” or “add to cart”, the choice displayed on a digital platform may not always be as simple as it appears. The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has intensified its crackdown on “dark patterns” — deceptive interface designs that can influence users into spending more, sharing information or accepting services they may not have actively chosen.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, the government said the CCPA has penalised nine digital platforms, including Zepto, BookMyShow, IndiGo, Physics Wallah, FirstCry and SpiceJet, for violations under the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.

The guidelines identify 13 types of dark patterns, including basket sneaking, drip pricing, subscription traps, false urgency, confirm shaming and trick questions. The move comes as regulators seek to address concerns around transparency and consumer choice in India’s rapidly expanding digital economy.

What Are Dark Patterns?

Dark patterns are deceptive user interface designs used on websites, apps or digital services to influence consumer decisions. These designs can push users towards actions they may not have intended, such as purchasing additional services, subscribing to plans or sharing personal information.

The Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 identify several forms of such practices. These include false urgency, where platforms create artificial pressure through countdown timers or scarcity messages; subscription traps, where users may face difficulties while cancelling services; and forced action, where consumers are required to take additional steps to access a service.

Other examples include confirm shaming, where users are discouraged from rejecting an offer through guilt-inducing language, and disguised advertisements, where promotional content is designed to look like regular information.

The CCPA’s guidelines were introduced to prevent such deceptive interface designs and protect consumers from unfair trade practices in digital transactions.

Why Were Zepto and BookMyShow Pulled Up?

Quick-commerce platform Zepto Marketplace received the highest penalty among the companies mentioned in the government’s reply. According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the CCPA imposed a ₹7 lakh penalty after finding that the platform displayed lower prices initially but added handling charges and membership fees during checkout.

The regulator classified the additional handling charges as “drip pricing” and the automatic addition of membership as “basket sneaking”. The government informed the Rajya Sabha that Zepto has since discontinued the identified dark pattern.

BookMyShow was also directed to remove a pre-selected contribution to its charitable initiative BookASmile. According to the government, the platform was asked to stop the automatic addition of the contribution as the practice was classified as basket sneaking.

The CCPA also acted against other platforms. Physics Wallah was fined ₹5 lakh after the regulator found that a ₹10 donation to its PW Foundation was automatically selected and accompanied by persuasive messaging encouraging users to retain it. The company later deposited the penalty and discontinued the practice, the government told Parliament.

What Are Basket Sneaking and Drip Pricing?

Basket sneaking refers to automatically adding products, services or contributions to a consumer’s cart without explicit consent. The additional item increases the final bill unless the user notices and removes it before completing the transaction.

In the case of BookMyShow, the CCPA objected to the pre-selected contribution added to ticket bookings. Similarly, the regulator found Zepto’s automatic addition of membership fees to be a case of basket sneaking.

Drip pricing involves displaying a lower price initially and revealing additional mandatory charges only later in the transaction process, often at the final payment stage.

The government also cited action against FirstCry, which was fined ₹2 lakh after the CCPA found that additional GST charges were added during checkout despite the initial price display. PharmaEasy was penalised ₹1 lakh for automatically adding its PLUS membership without consent, according to the government’s reply.

Why Is the CCPA Tightening Enforcement?

The CCPA issued an advisory in June 2025 asking e-commerce platforms to conduct self-audits to identify and remove dark patterns. Since then, the regulator has collected around ₹20 lakh in penalties from companies found violating the guidelines, according to the government’s written reply in Parliament.

The Department of Consumer Affairs also informed Parliament that the National Consumer Helpline received 308 complaints related to dark patterns between December 2023 and March 2026.

According to a Datum Intelligence report titled “Dark Patterns in India’s Online Marketplaces”, as reported by Business Standard, Indian online shoppers lose an estimated ₹25,000–28,000 crore every year due to dark patterns. The report estimated that nearly 88% of India’s 304 million online shoppers lose ₹78–87 per month because of such practices.

The report also found that 63% of online payment users faced hidden charges or drip pricing, compared with 52% in 2024. Around 73% of platforms studied used forced-action techniques, while 69% used drip pricing, according to Business Standard’s report on the findings.

What Rights Do Consumers Have?

The CCPA was established under Section 10(1) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, to regulate violations of consumer rights, unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements, Minister of State for Consumer Affairs B L Verma told the Rajya Sabha.

Consumers can raise complaints related to unfair digital practices through consumer grievance mechanisms, including the National Consumer Helpline. The Department of Consumer Affairs has also been running awareness initiatives under the “Jago Grahak Jago” campaign to educate consumers about misleading online practices and their rights.

The government has said complaints received through consumer platforms are taken up with concerned companies for redressal.

Will More Platforms Come Under Scrutiny?

The recent action indicates that enforcement is expanding beyond individual cases and focusing on digital design practices across sectors. Companies operating in e-commerce, travel, education, subscriptions and other online services are now required to ensure their interfaces comply with the dark pattern guidelines.

The CCPA’s actions against platforms such as Zepto, BookMyShow, IndiGo, Physics Wallah, FirstCry and others show the regulator’s focus on pricing transparency, user consent and fair digital practices.

The recent enforcement actions indicate that digital platforms will remain under closer regulatory scrutiny over how they design pricing, payment and subscription journeys for consumers.