Designed to deceive: Hidden traps of the internet economy

New guidelines, growing complaints, and government scrutiny point to the alarming rise of dark patterns across India’s digital landscape

New Delhi: While browsing an e-commerce app for ethnic wear, Saumya* spotted a dress she liked. A bright ‘limited time deal’ tag urged her to act fast. Not wanting to miss out, she clicked on the ‘buy now’ option. A pop-up followed, offering a discounted prime subscription at Rs 399 a year, with promises of free one-day delivery and early access to deals. Without much thought, she accepted. The dress arrived the next day.

But the fabric felt cheap. The fit was poor. Disappointed, Saumya initiated a return. The product was returned, but the prime subscription remained.

“When I saw it online, I felt that this was what I wanted. But the actual product was not good,” Saumya said. Annoyed with the experience, she attempted to cancel her prime subscription. The process had already stretched on for several hours when she realised that the option to discontinue her subscription was hard to find. “It was just one click and the subscription was done. But now I am struggling. I cannot figure out how to cancel it,” she said.

Pratik Jain* shared a similar experience about another e-commerce giant. While browsing for a green screen reflector for videography, Pratik selected one product. The page was filled with alerts: ‘Only 2 left,’ ‘Lowest price in the year,’ ‘Delivery in 2 days.’ Persuaded by the urgency of these alerts, he placed the order.

On the scheduled delivery day, he got a message in the morning saying the product would arrive by 9 pm. It did not. It did not arrive the next day either. For two days, the app continued to show the same status. “It kept showing ‘out for delivery’ with a delivery date that was already two days old. The only customer support I could find was a ‘chat with us’ option, which gave me the same canned responses,” said Pratik. The product finally arrived on the fourth day.

A week later, out of curiosity, he checked the listing again. The product was still available. The price had dropped slightly. It still showed 'Only a few left.'

Like Saumya and Pratik, hundreds of thousands of people who use digital platforms for shopping and accessing services like entertainment, mobility, education and healthcare, are tricked into making unintended decisions.

Digital platforms, through their websites and mobile apps, increasingly deploy deceptive design patterns to push users into spending money, subscribing to services, or sharing personal data. These practices include drip pricing, disguised advertisements, bait-and-switch tactics, and false urgency. Such tools are designed to steer user behaviour in ways that serve the platform’s commercial interests. They are referred to as “dark patterns.”

The term “dark pattern,” also known as a deceptive pattern, was coined in 2010 by Harry Brignull, a UK-based user experience researcher.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) defines dark patterns as “any practices or deceptive design pattern using user interface or user experience interactions on any platform that is designed to mislead or trick users to do something they originally did not intend or want to do, by subverting or impairing the consumer autonomy, decision making or choice, amounting to misleading advertisement or unfair trade practice or violation of consumer rights.”

Such activities are classified as unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. The CCPA, which is empowered to address violations of consumer rights, unfair trade practices, and false or misleading advertisements that harm consumer interests, issued the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns in 2023.

In these guidelines, the authority has listed 13 specified dark patterns, including false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription trap, interface interference, bait and switch, drip pricing, disguised advertisement, nagging, trick question, SaaS (software as a service) billing and rogue malware.

Deceptive and unethical patterns are prevalent across digital platforms. The CCPA recently initiated an investigation into ride-hailing apps, including Uber, Ola and Rapido, regarding unfair trade practices involving advance tipping.

Earlier this year, these organisations implemented an advance tip functionality on their applications that enables passengers to provide tips to drivers prior to confirming their journey. “A driver may be more likely to accept this ride if you add a tip,” showed an Uber app, nudging tips in the range of Rs 50 to Rs 100. Ola has a similar message for users: “adding a tip might help increase the chances of getting a ride faster.”  

While tipping a driver voluntarily is reasonable, many users have reported that ride-hailing apps are pressuring customers to pay extra, often citing delays or refusing rides unless a tip is added.

Government action

Calling the practice deeply concerning, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi stated, “Forcing or nudging users to pay a tip in advance for faster service is unethical and exploitative. Such actions amount to unfair trade practices. A tip is a token of appreciation, not a matter of right, and should follow the service.”

“Fairness, transparency and accountability must be upheld in all customer interactions,” Joshi added in a post on X.

In response to widespread complaints from consumers and other stakeholders, the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, in June, directed all e-commerce platforms to carry out self-audits within three months to identify instances of dark patterns. Platforms have also been instructed to take corrective steps to ensure such practices are removed.

The central government has constituted a Joint Working Group, comprising representatives from various ministries, the National Law Universities and voluntary consumer organisations, to examine dark pattern violations and recommend further regulatory action.

Users vulnerable 

According to a survey conducted recently by a community engagement platform LocalCircles, drip pricing, subscription trap, forced action and interface interference, and SaaS billing are among the most widely used deceptive patterns by digital platforms in the country.

“The highest numbers of dark patterns in India are currently in sectors like digital lending, online banking, edtech, e-Commerce, OTT (over-the-top) and app taxis,” said Sachin Taparia, founder, LocalCircles.  

Referring to the survey findings, Taparia said one in every two digital platforms in India use dark patterns, forced action and drip pricing.

Most commonly-used deceptive patterns by e-commerce platforms in India are interface interference, drip pricing, bait and switch and forced action. Basket sneaking is the most commonly used deceptive pattern by food delivery platforms.

Around 83 per cent of the digital platforms use drip pricing, while 75 per cent have subscription traps and 67 per cent forced action dark patterns. Drip pricing refers to the practice whereby elements of prices are not revealed upfront or are revealed surreptitiously within the user experience.

Nearly 50 per cent of 10,352 consumers who participated in a LocalCircles survey reported frequent difficulty in cancelling subscriptions to apps, OTT platforms, or online services. In many cases, the cancellation option was either not available or deliberately concealed within the interface. Around 53 per cent said they were not informed about additional rental charges when purchasing an OTT subscription.

A study released last year by the Advertising Standards Council of India found that 98 per cent of mobile apps use at least one deceptive pattern designed to mislead users.

Such deceptive patterns are not limited to India. According to the 2024 annual report of the US-based International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), more than 76 per cent of websites examined globally used at least one dark pattern, while nearly 67 per cent deployed multiple types.

Widespread occurrences

The use of dark patterns is particularly widespread in sectors such as travel, healthcare, and inventory-based e-commerce, where platforms often manufacture a sense of urgency. “Most digital platforms use FOMO, the fear of missing out, as a marketing strategy. It acts as a psychological trigger to boost sales and engagement,” said Mukesh Chandra, a digital marketing expert and founder of the edtech company Eduvisor.

An Amazon India spokesperson declined to comment on the use of dark patterns. However, he stated that the company employs advanced technology to monitor for potential violations.

“Our tools use sophisticated machine learning to prevent the listing of counterfeit or infringing products by scanning keywords, text, and logos that are identical or similar to registered trademarks or copyrighted works,” Amazon stated in its Brand Protection report released in March 2025.

“We use insights from these processes to continuously innovate and enhance our proactive protections. When we receive a valid notice of infringement or a customer complaint, our machine learning algorithms incorporate this data to strengthen safeguards for brands,” the report added.

On seller verification, Amazon claimed it uses both technology and trained reviewers to confirm the identity of prospective sellers. “Our systems analyse multiple data points, including behavioural signals and links to previously flagged bad actors, to identify and prevent risks,” the company said.

Misuse of AI

Digital platforms are extensively using artificial intelligence (AI) to manipulate consumers.

“AI-generated dark patterns in the e-commerce industry undermine user trust and autonomy. AI algorithms can personalise these patterns based on a user’s browsing history, social media activity, and other data, making them more effective and harder to detect,” said Jaspreet Bindra, co-founder of AI&Beyond. 

He added that AI can also be used to generate fake reviews, endorsements, or testimonials that appear authentic and are difficult to identify. AI-driven interfaces are capable of leveraging vast amounts of personal data to influence user decisions, such as nudging them to sign up for premium services or share more information than they intended.

While AI tools are often deployed to simplify subscription and auto-renewal processes, they are also being used to make it harder for users to cancel subscriptions or opt out of automatic renewals.

“With the growing use of generative tools such as ChatGPT comes the ability to rapidly generate persuasive content. This makes it essential to examine not only technical capabilities but also the ethical consequences,” Bindra said.

Dhairyashil Patil, national president of the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF), said the rise in deceptive patterns across e-commerce platforms stems from profit-driven algorithms and inadequate consumer protection in the digital space.

“Algorithms are now being used as sophisticated tools to bypass consumer privacy, collecting excessive personal data under vague or blanket consents and using it to deliver manipulative messaging. This is a dangerous trend. It is no longer just about selling products, but about psychologically steering consumer behaviour without their informed awareness,” Patil said.

The AICPDF has submitted formal representations to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs and the Competition Commission of India, raising concerns over how digital design and algorithmic pricing are being used to mislead consumers and disrupt traditional retail ecosystems.

“Dark patterns and algorithmic manipulation represent the new face of consumer exploitation. They erode trust, infringe upon privacy, and distort the principles of fair trade. AICPDF is committed to challenging these unethical practices and safeguarding the interests of both consumers and traditional retailers,” Patil added.

(*Names have been changed on request)