Now Reading: CCPA fines nine digital platforms nearly Rs 20 lakh
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CCPA fines nine digital platforms nearly Rs 20 lakh
The Story in Brief
The Story in Brief
The Central Consumer Protection Authority has directed nine digital platforms, including Zepto, PhysicsWallah and IndiGo, to stop misleading online design practices, the government told the Rajya Sabha. It has so far recovered nearly Rs 20 lakh in fines for violations of the 2023 dark patterns guidelines.
Zepto received the biggest fine, Rs 7 lakh, over added handling charges and an automatically included subscription fee. PhysicsWallah was fined Rs 5 lakh over a pre-selected Rs 10 donation and related prompts. FirstCry, Anuj Jindal, PharmaEasy, McAfee and SpiceJet also faced penalties. IndiGo changed its app after complaints, while BookMyShow was told to remove a pre-selected Rs 1 contribution.
The Indian Opinion
The lazy narrative is that every extra charge or pre-ticked option is automatically fraud. The opposite claim, that consumers can simply read more carefully, is just as weak when subscriptions and donations are designed into checkout flows. The real test is whether platforms present the full price and optional choices clearly before payment. CCPA should publish compliance checks and repeat-offender penalties, not stop at a Rs 20 lakh recovery.
Source: bazaar.businesstoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Methodology and corrections.
Ashin Xavier: interesting
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