How to spot ‘dark patterns’ while online shopping

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has directed e-commerce firms to identify and eliminate ‘dark patterns’ from their platforms after conducting self-audits within three months. Dark patterns refer to deceptive design practices to trick users into unintended actions. CCPA’s order follows from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs’ advisory to these platforms to review their interfaces for practices that limit consumer choice or amount to unfair trade.

‘Creates false urgency’

Kiran Jonnalagadda, cofounder of software company Hasgeek, says that dark patterns are practices in a user interface “where a default option or next recommended action for you is not in your interest”. He explains: “These could include a small donation to a company of the platform’s choice during a purchase where the checkboxes are ticked by default, or when a platform offers discounts on certain products, and the discount isn’t applied on them unless selected again during checkout.”

Apar Gupta, cofounder and founding director of the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), lists a few of such tactics: countdown timers to fake scarcity, drip-pricing to hide fees until payment, basket-sneaking for adding extra items or warranties without users’ consent, and confirm-shaming messages like ‘Are you sure you want to miss this deal?’. “A flight site that states tickets starting at Rs 1,999 but tacks on convenience fees at checkout or a food delivery app that pre-selects a tip are classic cases,” Gupta adds.

These patterns include creating a false urgency or a nagging user interface, says Justin Paul, chief editor of International Journal of Consumer Studies. “An example is when websites offer a premium version of a service on a free trial basis for a limited period and ask for credit card details. Post the trial period, the cancellation option can’t be easily found, which often leads to a frustrated customer forgetting about or delaying cancellation,” he explains.

Isha Suri, AI and Market Power Fellow at European AI Society Fund, says “being asked for excessive details or personal information in the garb of providing services is another example.” “Each website potentially adopts a varying degree of such patterns. For instance, all of us might have fallen prey to false scarcity created on websites or not checked for the option to turn off cookies (from a webpage) to complete a transaction faster,” she continues.

Marketing professor Ashish Kaul cites incidents where despite ordering items on quick commerce apps with no delivery charges, “miraculously the price still goes up”.

He adds that regulation on ‘dark patterns’ is much needed and calling these practices out online will eventually help stop them.

What consumers should watch out for 

One must pause when one sees timers, pop-ups or pre-ticked boxes, instead of rushing to complete a transaction. “Compare the headline price with the final amount at checkout and untick add-ons you
don’t want,” says Gupta. If something feels off, take a screenshot and report it on the CCPA portal (doca.gov.in/ccpa) or tag the said platform on social media. Comparing the price of items on different/competitive platforms can also help customers combat such practices, Kaul shares.