Good News for Online Shoppers: If you also do online shopping then this news is useful for you.This is a big relief for online shoppers. Now, they will only have to pay the price shown on the online shopping platform, and they will not be charged any hidden fees.
Nor will they be misled by misleading advertisements.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) said
Resently 26 major e-commerce companies of the country including Zepto, Zomato, Swiggy and JioMart have announced that their online shopping platforms are free from dark patterns.
The government has described this as an important step towards protecting the interests of consumers in the digital market.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) said these announcements will encourage other companies to adopt similar self-regulation.
Company List
These 26 e-commerce platforms include •PharmEasy,
- Zepto Marketplace
- Flipkart Internet
- Myntra Designs
- Walmart India
•MakeMyTrip (India)
•BigBasket (Innovative Retail Concepts)
•JioMart (Reliance Retail)
•Zomato
•Swiggy - Blinkit
•Page Industries
•William Penn - Cleartrip
•Reliance Jewels•
•Reliance Digital Netmeds•
Tata 1MG
•Meesho - ixigo
- Milkbasket
•Hamleys
•Ajio
•Tira Beauty (Reliance Retail Limited)
•Duroflex Private Limited and Curadene India
Audits conducted to identify dark patterns
These 26 e-commerce companies have conducted internal and third-party audits to identify, assess, and eliminate any presence of dark patterns.
The companies have stated that their platforms do not use any manipulative user interface design.
These are the 13 identified dark patterns-
The Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, notified on November 30, 2023, identify and prohibit 13 dark patterns. These 13 dark patterns are:
•False urgency
•Basket sneaking
- Confirm shaming
•Forced actions
•Subscription traps
•Interface interference
•Bait and switch
•Drip pricing (hidden charges)
•Deceptive advertising
•Naggingtrick wording
•SaaS billing and rough malware.
What is dark pattern?
Dark patterns are online techniques designed to mislead consumers. User interfaces are designed to cause people to inadvertently click on links they are supposed to avoid.
- The government issued clear guidelines in 2023 to combat these patterns.
•The Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns were notified on November 30, 2023. Under this, 13 dark patterns were identified and prohibited in the interest of consumers.
What benefits will customers get?
These 26 companies eliminating online shopping dark patterns, customers will now have a more transparent and secure shopping experience.
Customers will no longer see false “Buy Now or Last Stock” timers, nor will they see any sneaky extra charges added to their carts. This step will help increase trust in the digital marketplace.
Jay Chavda He is the Founder and Writer of businesspulsecare.com. He is an I.T Engineer, Freelancer, Businessman. He posts Business, Stock/Share Market, Finance Related News and updates on the website. 🔗