India, July 17 -- The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of Rs.1 lakh on SpiceJet for using "dark patterns" on its flight-booking platform, ruling that the airline enrolled customers in its loyalty programme and marketing communications without obtaining valid, informed consent.

The consumer watchdog also directed the airline to permanently discontinue such default-consent practices, saying they undermine consumer autonomy and violate the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

Three 'dark patterns' identified

In its order issued on Friday, the CCPA identified three deceptive design practices on SpiceJet's platform:

The authority noted that customers were also deemed to have consented to receive promotional mess...