Major E-commerce Platforms Declare Themselves Free From Dark Patterns
In a significant move for consumer protection, 26 major e-commerce companies including Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy, Myntra, and Zepto have officially declared their platforms free from deceptive “dark patterns” following government-mandated self-audits.
Key Takeaways
- 26 e-commerce giants complete mandatory self-audits for dark patterns
- Companies include Flipkart, Zomato, Swiggy, Myntra, Zepto, and BigBasket
- Declaration covers 13 banned practices including hidden charges and fake urgency
- CCPA monitoring continues for non-compliant platforms
What Are Dark Patterns?
Dark patterns refer to deceptive design practices that manipulate user behavior, often pushing customers into unintended purchases, subscriptions, or data sharing without fully informed consent. These include tactics like hidden charges, fake urgency messages, trick wording, forced actions, and complicated cancellation processes.
Government Guidelines and Compliance
The declarations come under the 2023 guidelines introduced to curb manipulative user interfaces. According to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, each company has submitted a self-declaration to the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), confirming they’ve conducted internal or third-party audits of their websites and apps.
The ministry stated: “The proactive industry-wide compliance demonstrates a strong commitment towards consumer transparency, fair trade practices and ethical digital ecosystems.”
It added: “This voluntary alignment underscores the fact that consumer protection and business growth can go hand-in-hand, strengthening brand trust and long-term credibility.”
Banned Practices and Monitoring
The 2023 guidelines specifically list 13 banned practices, including basket sneaking, confirm shaming, drip pricing, and subscription traps. Rising consumer complaints and growing digital reliance prompted the CCPA to issue an advisory in June 2025, directing all e-commerce platforms to complete self-audits within three months and publicly display compliance status.
Despite the declarations, authorities emphasize that monitoring will continue. The CCPA is closely watching platforms that haven’t submitted audits and will act against companies found violating the guidelines.
