The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued advisory to all e-commerce platforms to take necessary steps to ensure that their platforms do not engage in deceptive and unfair trade practice which are in the nature of Dark Patterns.

In a statement Ministry of Consumer Affairs said that all e-commerce platforms have been advised to conduct self-audits to identify dark patterns within 3 months. CCPA has also issued notices to e-commerce platforms in some cases that have been found violating the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns.

The Ministry said that the authority has been keeping a close watch on the violation of the Guidelines issued for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns. A dark pattern is a deceptive user interface design used by digital platforms to mislead or manipulate consumers into making choices they did not intend. These practices can amount to misleading ads, unfair trade practices, or violations of consumer rights.