Government convenes stakeholders meet to tackle ‘Dark Patterns’ in E-commerce

New Delhi [India], May 26 (ANI): The Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Pralhad Joshi will convene a high-level stakeholders meeting on May 28, 2025, in New Delhi to address “dark patterns” concerns of consumers they face while shopping on e-commerce sites and explore more effective solutions.

The meeting will witness participation from major e-commerce players across various sectors, including food (BigBasket, Swiggy, Zomato), travel (MakeMyTrip, Paytm, Ola, Yatra, Uber, EaseMyTrip, Clear Trip), cosmetics, pharmacy (1mg.com, Netmeds, Medika Bazaar), retail (Reliance Retail Limited), clothing, and electronics (Amazon, Flipkart, Apple). Other significant participants include Meta, IndiaMart, IndiGo Airlines, xigo, JUSTDIAL, ONDC, Thomas Cook, and WhatsApp.

“Key industry organisations, as well as Voluntary Consumer Organisations (VCOs) and leading National Law Universities (NLUs) will also be active participants in this meeting,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Department of Consumer Affairs emphasises that this extensive industry participation is crucial for advancing consumer rights and ensuring a transparent and trustworthy marketplace.

Additionally, the Ministry is proactively working to curb these unfair trade practices, which erode consumer trust and distort fair market dynamics.

In November 2023, the department issued comprehensive guidelines identifying 13 prominent dark patterns, such as False Urgency, Basket Sneaking, and Subscription Traps.

Furthermore, the Department launched the Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon in 2023, leading to the development of three consumer protection apps in collaboration with IIT (BHU). The department has also been actively monitoring e-commerce platforms and conducting consumer awareness campaigns.

The Ministry underscored that consumer protection and ease of doing business are complementary goals.

This upcoming stakeholder meeting exemplifies the government’s participatory approach to governance, aiming to strengthen the regulatory ecosystem while promoting a level playing field for businesses. The focus remains on fostering a digital marketplace governed by fairness, transparency, and accountability, where consumer safety is paramount.