Hyderabad, Aug. 6 -- Nine digital platforms, including BookMyShow, Zepto, Physics Wallah, and IndiGo, were penalised for using "dark patterns" or deceptive practices to manipulate consumers into decisions they would not have usually made.

The government on Wednesday, August 5, informed the Rajya Sabha that the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) fined SpiceJet, Physics Wallah, IndiGo, FirstCry, Zepto, McAfee, BookMyShow, PharmaEasy, and Anuj Jindal for operating their platforms through dark patterns.

The 2023 Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns identifies and keeps in check 13 categories of deceptive designs such as basket sneaking, subscription traps, confirm shaming, false urgency, drip pricing, and trick questioning....