bigbasket completes self-audit to comply with CCPA guidelines on dark patterns
With this move, bigbasket joins a growing list of Indian e-commerce companies that have publicly declared compliance with evolving consumer protection norms
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bigbasket, a Tata enterprise, on Monday announced that it has completed a self-audit of its quick commerce platform in line with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) guidelines and advisories issued in 2023 and 2025 to prevent and regulate dark patterns. The company has submitted its declaration of audit completion to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs.
Rohit Subramanian, Legal Counsel at bigbasket, said, “We see this as an important step towards reinforcing consumer confidence while supporting the government’s efforts to build a more responsible and transparent digital economy.”
With this move, bigbasket joins a growing list of Indian e-commerce companies that have publicly declared compliance with evolving consumer protection norms. Last month, the Flipkart Group completed a similar self-audit across its digital platforms --Flipkart, Myntra, Flipkart Wholesale, and Cleartrip.
In June 2025, the CCPA issued an advisory directing all e-commerce platforms to ensure they do not engage in deceptive or unfair trade practices considered “dark patterns.” Companies were asked to conduct a self-audit within three months and submit self-declarations confirming compliance.
To strengthen oversight, the Department of Consumer Affairs formed a Joint Working Group (JWG) comprising representatives from ministries, regulators, and consumer organizations to monitor dark pattern violations and report findings regularly.
The ministry has identified 13 types of dark patterns, including 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.
Recently, the ministry launched a probe into e-commerce platforms allegedly charging extra fees on cash-on-delivery (COD) orders -- a practice it termed a “dark pattern” that misleads and exploits consumers.
Union Minister of Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi confirmed that a detailed investigation is underway and warned that strict action would be taken against platforms found violating consumer rights.
