Advertising
From Pink Slips to Silent Sidelining: Inside adland’s layoff and anxiety crisis
Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy among 26 firms saying they comply with dark pattern rules
In June this year, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued an advisory directing all e-commerce platforms to ensure they do not engage in unfair or deceptive trade practices that fall under dark patterns.
Govt flags COD surcharges as “dark pattern”
Twenty-six companies have voluntarily informed the Department of Consumer Affairs that they have completed self-audits and are fully compliant with the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023. These companies stated that their platforms are free from manipulative user-interface designs and do not deploy dark patterns to mislead consumers.
The list of compliant companies includes: Page Industries (Jockey, Speedo), William Penn (Sheaffer, Lapis Bard), PharmEasy, Zepto, Curaden India (Curaprox), Duroflex, Flipkart, Myntra, Cleartrip, Walmart India, MakeMyTrip, BigBasket, Tira Beauty, JioMart, Reliance Jewels, Ajio, Reliance Digital, Netmeds, Hamleys, MilBasket, Swiggy, Tata 1mg, Zomato, Blinkit, Ixigo and Meesho.
In June this year, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued an advisory directing all e-commerce platforms to ensure they do not engage in unfair or deceptive trade practices that fall under dark patterns. Platforms were instructed to conduct a self-audit within three months and submit a declaration confirming that their interfaces do not deploy such practices.
The ministry has identified 13 dark patterns under the guidelines. These include false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription traps, interface interference, bait and switch, drip pricing, disguised advertisements, nagging, trick wording, SaaS billing and rogue malware.
"We have also ensured that we are dark-pattern free. All 13 dark patterns identified by the consumer affairs ministry are absent on our platform," said Meesho in a statement.
"Blinkit has carried out an internal assessment of its platform in line with the advisory and the guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 ("Guidelines") on a best-efforts basis," Blinkit mentioned.
SPOTLIGHT
From purpose-driven work and narrative-rich brand films to AI-enabled ideas and creator-led collaborations, the awards reflect the full spectrum of modern creativity.
Read More“Confusion creates opportunity for agile players,” Sir Martin Sorrell on industry consolidation
Looking ahead to the close of 2025 and into 2026, Sorrell sees technology platforms as the clear winners. He described them as “nation states in their own right”, with market capitalisations that exceed the GDPs of many countries.