# CCPA penalises nine platforms over deceptive digital charges 2026-08-06T04:20:52+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk The Central Consumer Protection Authority has penalised nine digital platforms for using deceptive interface designs, the government told the Rajya Sabha. The practices are covered by the Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns Guidelines, 2023, which list 13 patterns including hidden charges, false urgency and subscription traps. The CCPA issued an advisory in June 2025 asking e-commerce platforms to conduct self-audits. The government said the regulator has collected about ₹20 lakh in fines since the advisory. Zepto was fined ₹7 lakh for handling charges and membership fees. Physics Wallah was fined ₹5 lakh over a pre-selected donation and persuasive messages. FirstCry, Anuj Jindal, PharmaEasy, McAfee and SpiceJet also faced penalties. BookMyShow removed a pre-ticked contribution, while IndiGo changed an opt-out prompt. ## Coverage - www.hindustantimes.com Tags: src-rss Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/zepto-added-handling-charges-bookmyshow-pulled-up-for-basket-sneaking-why-9-platforms-were-penalised/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/zepto-added-handling-charges-bookmyshow-pulled-up-for-basket-sneaking-why-9-platforms-were-penalised/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.