3 weeks ago
CCPA Penalises IndiGo, Zepto, Physics Wallah for Deceptive Dark Patterns
There is a group in India called the CCPA that works to protect people who buy things online.
It looked at many apps and websites and found that some companies were tricking customers.
These tricky designs are called "dark patterns."
Some apps added extra fees at the very end of checkout, after the price was already shown.
Others had a donation box that was already ticked, hoping people would not notice.
One airline showed a scary message like "No, I will take risk" to stop people from saying no to extra services.
The CCPA told these companies to stop these tricks and fined them money.
Altogether, the companies had to pay around Rs 20 lakh.
Many of them changed their apps and websites to be fairer.
This helps make shopping online safer and more honest for everyone.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) imposed penalties on nine digital platforms, including IndiGo, Zepto, Physics Wallah, BookMyShow, FirstCry and SpiceJet.
The regulator acted against dark patterns such as drip pricing, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, subscription traps and misleading prompts.
Zepto was fined Rs 7 lakh for adding handling charges and membership fees during checkout after users had already viewed an initial price.
Physics Wallah was fined Rs 5 lakh for a pre-selected Rs 10 donation linked to PW Foundation and for requiring personal information before offering free courses.
IndiGo changed its confirm-shaming opt-out message from "No I will take risk" to "No, I will not add to the trip" on its mobile app.
The CCPA has collected around Rs 20 lakh in penalties, with fines also imposed on BookMyShow, FirstCry, Anuj Jindal, PharmaEasy, McAfee and SpiceJet.
- Who
- The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, penalised nine digital platforms including IndiGo, Zepto, Physics Wallah, BookMyShow, FirstCry and SpiceJet.
- What
- The platforms were penalised for using deceptive dark patterns, including drip pricing, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, subscription traps and misleading prompts.
- Where
- India, announced in New Delhi via the Rajya Sabha.
- When
- The action was disclosed in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, following a June 2025 CCPA directive for e-commerce platforms to self-audit and remove dark patterns.
- Why
- To protect consumers from manipulative online interfaces designed to influence purchasing decisions.
Key facts
- Regulator
- Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA)
- Platforms penalised
- 9 digital platforms
- Total penalties collected
- Around Rs 20 lakh
- Zepto fine
- Rs 7 lakh (drip pricing and basket sneaking)
- Physics Wallah fine
- Rs 5 lakh (pre-selected Rs 10 donation with PW Foundation)
- IndiGo violation
- Confirm shaming on mobile app; message changed to "No, I will not add to the trip"
- BookMyShow violation
- Directed to discontinue pre-selected Rs 1 donation to BookASmile (basket sneaking)
- Other fines
- FirstCry Rs 2 lakh; Anuj Jindal Rs 3 lakh; PharmaEasy, McAfee and SpiceJet Rs 1 lakh each
Sources
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