Now Reading: CCPA penalises nine platforms over deceptive digital charges
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CCPA penalises nine platforms over deceptive digital charges
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
The action gives consumers concrete examples of how digital interfaces may influence purchases. However, naming companies can make the story sound broader than the reported findings. The available information does not show how common these practices are across the industry or whether the fines match consumer losses. Further details on compliance and repeat violations would help assess the regulator’s impact fairly.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
