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Union Minister Pralhad Joshi to chair stakeholder meeting on dark patterns in ecommerce
The meeting, convened by the Department of Consumer Affairs, will bring together representatives from major e-commerce platforms across sectors such as food, travel, cosmetics, pharmacy, retail, clothing and electronics.
Dark patterns, as defined under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, include tactics such as false urgency, bait and switch, basket sneaking, subscription traps, and disguised advertisements.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, will chair a high-level stakeholder meeting on May 28 in New Delhi to address growing consumer concerns over the use of dark patterns in digital commerce.
The meeting, convened by the Department of Consumer Affairs, will bring together representatives from major e-commerce platforms across sectors such as food, travel, cosmetics, pharmacy, retail, clothing and electronics. Among the key participants are Amazon, Flipkart, 1mg.com, Apple, BigBasket, Meesho, Meta, MakeMyTrip, Paytm, Ola, Reliance Retail, Swiggy, Zomato, Yatra, Uber, Tata, EaseMyTrip, Cleartrip, IndiaMart, IndiGo Airlines, ixigo, Justdial, Medika Bazaar, Netmeds, ONDC, Thomas Cook and WhatsApp.
Voluntary Consumer Organizations (VCOs) and leading National Law Universities (NLUs) will also participate, who will offer insights, research inputs and regulatory perspectives to inform the discussion and shape actionable solutions.
The meeting underscores the government’s firm stance against dark patterns, deceptive design practices that manipulate consumers into unintended actions, such as making purchases or sharing data. The Department of Consumer Affairs recognizes these tactics as a serious threat to consumer trust and the integrity of digital marketplaces.
Read More: Union Minister Pralhad Joshi: Awareness about standards essential for empowering consumers
In a significant regulatory move, the Department had released detailed guidelines on November 30, 2023, identifying 13 dark patterns prevalent in e-commerce, including False Urgency, Basket Sneaking, Confirm Shaming, Subscription Trap, Drip Pricing, Trick Questions, and Interface Interference, among others.
Alongside regulatory action, the Department has ramped up consumer awareness campaigns and maintains active engagement with digital platforms, policy think tanks, and advocacy groups to ensure an inclusive, consumer-first approach.
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