CCPA orders Zepto and seven platforms to remove dark patterns; Zepto fined ₹7 lakh
India’s consumer regulator has acted against eight platforms including Zepto, FirstCry, PharmEasy, BookMyShow, McAfee, Physics Wallah and SpiceJet over deceptive interface practices. The action targets 13 dark-pattern practices under consumer-protection and e-commerce rules.
What happened
India’s CCPA ordered eight platforms, including Zepto, FirstCry, PharmEasy and BookMyShow, to remove deceptive dark patterns. Zepto was fined Rs 7 lakh for
Key facts
- Zepto penalty: Rs 7 lakh
- FirstCry penalty: Rs 2 lakh
- PharmEasy penalty: Rs 1 lakh
- McAfee penalty: Rs 1 lakh
- Physics Wallah penalty: Rs 5 lakh
- SpiceJet penalty: Rs 1 lakh
- 13 dark-pattern practices identified
- Consumer Protection Act, 2019
- Consumer Protection (E-commerce) Rules, 2020
- Dark Patterns Guidelines, 2023
Why this matters
Build dark-pattern, consumer-protection and e-commerce-rule compliance reviews into diligence, since deceptive-interface exposure can create post-deal remediation costs and reputational liabilities.
What to watch
- Whether the CCPA conducts follow-up inspections or announces non-compliance findings against the eight companies.
- New notices or fines involving major marketplaces, food delivery, travel, fintech, telecom or subscription-streaming platforms.
- Changes to checkout conversion, membership attach rates, cancellation rates and customer-support contacts after interface remediation.
- Publication of detailed orders specifying the offending flows, remediation deadlines and repeat-offender consequences.
- Consumer litigation, class-style complaints or media investigations documenting continued deceptive practices.
- Whether app stores, payment providers or advertising platforms introduce dark-pattern compliance requirements for merchants.
- Zepto and the other named platforms revise checkout, fee disclosure, membership, cancellation and consent journeys; publish or submit compliance confirmations.
- Consumer platforms initiate legal and UX audits against the 13 prohibited dark-pattern categories, especially basket-level price changes and pre-selected services.
- Boards and compliance teams elevate dark-pattern exposure into regulatory-risk registers and require documented design approvals for high-conversion flows.
- Competitors market transparent pricing, easy cancellation and no-hidden-fee policies as trust differentiators.
- Regulators may issue additional notices, clarifications or sector-specific guidance based on complaints and post-order monitoring.