Government says 26 firms declare 'no dark patterns'

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Thursday said that 26 e-commerce platforms have submitted self declarations stating that their user interfaces are free from dark patterns.

The submissions follow the government’s guidelines on the prevention and regulation of dark patterns which identify manipulative design practices that mislead users during shopping or subscription processes.

According to the ministry, companies including Flipkart, Amazon, Zepto, Myntra, MakeMyTrip, BigBasket, Swiggy, Zomato, and Meesho have completed internal or third party audits and have declared compliance.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority said the declarations show growing readiness among major digital platforms to adopt user friendly and transparent interfaces. The regulator has also asked other platforms to publish similar declarations on their websites and to carry out regular audits.

The development comes amid increased scrutiny of e-commerce platforms for deceptive design choices. Last month, the Department of Consumer Affairs launched an inquiry into Flipkart and Amazon after finding issues such as extra charges for cash on delivery and hidden fees appearing during checkout. The ministry noted that such surprise cost additions and confusing pricing formats can influence consumer choices and fall under identified dark pattern categories.

Zepto also came under criticism after users flagged a design choice that pushed customers toward higher delivery fees and other charges such as handling fee, rain and surge fee. The company’s co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha later acknowledged the issue and called it a mistake while stating that the feature had been removed.

With more platforms submitting declarations that they do not use dark patterns, the government says self regulation and public disclosure are elements of its broader transparency framework for ecommerce. Recent regulatory steps also indicate that authorities are continuing to assess design practices that could influence consumer choices.