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Hyderabad: Nine digital platforms, including BookMyShow, Zepto, Physics Wallah, and IndiGo, were penalised for using “dark patterns” or deceptive practices to manipulate consumers into decisions they would not have usually made.

The government on Wednesday, August 5, informed the Rajya Sabha that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) fined SpiceJet, Physics Wallah, IndiGo, FirstCry, Zepto, McAfee, BookMyShow, PharmaEasy, and Anuj Jindal for operating their platforms through dark patterns.

The 2023 Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns identifies and keeps in check 13 categories of deceptive designs such as basket sneaking, subscription traps, confirm shaming, false urgency, drip pricing, and trick questioning.

Subsequently, in 2025, the CCPA issued an advisory urging e-commerce platforms to hold self-audits to check for dark patterns on their apps and platforms. Since the advisory, it has collected nearly Rs 20 lakh in fines from the platforms violating the directions, the government told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

Zepto fined for drip pricing, BookMyShow for basket sneaking

Quick commerce platform Zepto Marketplace was fined Rs 7 lakh for displaying lower prices on items while including handling charges and membership fees. According to the CCPA, adding handling charges was a form of drip pricing, whereas auto-adding the membership amounted to basket sneaking.

The government, however, informed the House that Zepto has stopped the practice.

BookMyShow, a platform to book tickets for movies, events and concerts, was penalised for the pre-ticked option to pay Rs 1 as a contribution to its charitable initiative, BookASmile. The CCPA noted that such a practice constituted basket sneaking.

Physics Walla fined Rs 5 lakh

The regulator took suo motu cognisance and fined Physics Wallah, an education platform, after finding that a Rs 10 donation to its “PW Foundation” was always selected automatically. The CCPA said that the persuasive messaging was shown to push consumers to keep the pre-selected amount. The CCPA raised objections to platforms offering free courses while forcing users to disclose personal data prior to access.

“The company deposited the penalty and discontinued the dark pattern,” the government told the Upper House.

CCPA acts on confirm shaming complaints against IndiGo

Acting on complaints, the CCPA pulled up IndiGo for confirm shaming consumers on its mobile app. Following the regulator’s action, the airline changed its refusal button from the earlier “No, I will take the risk” to a neutral “No, I will not add to the trip.”

Separately, the regulatory body penalised coaching platform Anuj Jindal Rs 3 lakh, FirstCry Rs 2 lakh, PharmEasy Rs 1 lakh, SpiceJet Rs 1 lakh, and McAfee Rs 1 lakh. CCPA directed the platforms to eliminate dark patterns such as unexpected charges, forced sign-ups, misleading timers, and pushy renewal pop-ups.