The Ministry of Consumer Affairs held a meeting on May 28, 2025, with over 50 e-commerce companies to tackle the issue of dark patterns — deceptive design tricks that manipulate consumers into making choices they wouldn’t normally make. The government is pushing for more transparency, especially regarding donations and hidden charges, and has already sent notices to 11 companies violating guidelines.
They also launched three apps: Jagruti, Jago Grahak Jago, and Jagruti Dashboard, to educate consumers about these manipulative tactics and help them protect themselves. Some common dark patterns include creating false urgency, adding hidden charges, and making subscriptions hard to cancel.
The goal is to create a more transparent, fair e-commerce ecosystem, where consumers can make informed decisions without being tricked. It’s a solid step in the right direction — what do you guys think? any experience regarding this?
Dark patterns are sneaky tricks websites and apps use to get you to do things you didn’t mean to. It could be stuff like hiding extra fees until checkout, making you feel rushed to buy with fake "limited stock" messages, or making it hard to cancel a subscription. Basically, it's all about manipulating you into actions that benefit the company, not you.
Sources suggest that companies have agreed to remove dark pattern let's see what happens.
Ps. Meanwhile flop kart crying in the corner
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