On May 28, 2025, the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution will convene a high-level stakeholder meeting in New Delhi to address consumer concerns regarding the use of dark patterns by e-commerce platforms. Representatives from major companies across various sectors including food, travel, cosmetics, pharmacy, retail, clothing, and electronics, such as Amazon, Flipkart, and Meta, will participate. The meeting aims to identify effective solutions to curb deceptive user interface designs that mislead consumers. This initiative builds upon previous efforts by the Department of Consumer Affairs, including the issuance of comprehensive guidelines on dark patterns in November 2023, the Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023, and the development of consumer protection apps in collaboration with IIT BHU. The Department emphasizes a collaborative approach, involving industry organizations, Voluntary Consumer Organizations, and National Law Universities, to promote a transparent and trustworthy marketplace where consumer protection and ease of doing business are complementary goals.
Key Entities Referenced
ecommerce: Refers to electronic commerce platforms.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food Public Distribution: Government ministry responsible for consumer affairs, food, and public distribution in India.
Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister: The minister in charge of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
dark patterns: Deceptive user interface designs that mislead or manipulate consumers into making unintended choices in digital commerce.
food, pharmacy, travel, cosmetics, retail, clothing, electronics: Sectors in which major ecommerce companies participating in the stakeholder meeting operate.
26 MAY 2025: Date of the press release.
PIB Delhi: Press Information Bureau, Delhi.
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New Renewable Energy: A ministerial portfolio.
Shri Pralhad Joshi: The Union Minister holding the portfolios of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and New Renewable Energy.
28th May 2025: Date of the high-level stakeholder meeting in New Delhi.
New Delhi: Location of the stakeholder meeting.
Amazon: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Flipkart: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
1mg.com: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Apple: Major technology company participating in the meeting.
BigBasket: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Meesho: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Meta: Major technology company participating in the meeting.
MakeMyTrip: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Paytm: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Ola: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Reliance Retail Limited: Major retail company participating in the meeting.
Swiggy: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Zomato: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Yatra: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Uber: Major transportation network company participating in the meeting.
Tata: Major conglomerate participating in the meeting.
EaseMyTrip: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Clear Trip: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
IndiaMart: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
IndiGo Airlines: Major airline participating in the meeting.
xigo: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
JUSTDIAL: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Medika Bazaar: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Netmeds: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
ONDC: Major ecommerce platform participating in the meeting.
Thomas Cook: Major travel company participating in the meeting.
WhatsApp: Major messaging platform participating in the meeting.
Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India: The governmental department responsible for consumer affairs in India.
Voluntary Consumer Organizations: VCOs - organizations that work to protect consumer rights.
National Law Universities: NLUs - Law schools in India.
30 November 2023: Date of issuance of comprehensive guidelines on the prevention of dark patterns.
False Urgency, Basket Sneaking, Confirm Shaming, Forced action, Subscription trap, Interface interference, Bait and Switch, Drip Pricing, Disguised advertisement, Nagging, Trick question, Saas Billing, and Rogue Malwares: 13 prominent dark patterns in ecommerce recognized by the Department of Consumer Affairs.
Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023: Nationwide innovation challenge to design technological solutions to detect and fight dark patterns.
26th October 2023: Date of the launch of the Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023.
IIT BHU: Indian Institute of Technology Banaras Hindu University, partner in the Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023.
IITs, NITs: Indian Institutes of Technology and National Institutes of Technology, institutions from which students and individuals were invited to participate in the hackathon.
National Consumers Day 2024: Date when the consumer protection apps developed in collaboration with IIT BHU were launched.
Abhishek Dayal: Individual associated with the release.
Nihi Sharma: Individual associated with the release.
Release ID: 2131262: Unique identifier for the press release.
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
Union Food and Consumer Affairs Minister to meet
stakeholders on dark patterns
Major e-commerce companies in food, pharmacy,
travel, cosmetics, retail, clothing, electronics sectors
to participate
Posted On: 26 MAY 2025 1:59PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy, Shri
Pralhad Joshi will address consumer concerns regarding dark patterns in a high-level stakeholder meeting on
28th May 2025 in New Delhi. This meeting also aims to explore more effective solutions to tackle the issue.
All major e-commerce platforms, working in food, travel, cosmetics, pharmacy, retail, clothing and
electronics sectors will participate in the meeting. Some of the key stakeholders are Amazon, Flipkart,
1mg.com, Apple, BigBasket, Meesho, Meta, MakeMyTrip, Paytm, Ola, Reliance Retail Limited, Swiggy,
Zomato, Yatra, Uber, Tata, EaseMyTrip, Clear Trip, IndiaMart, IndiGo Airlines, xigo, JUSTDIAL, Medika
Bazaar, Netmeds, ONDC, Thomas Cook, and WhatsApp. The list reinforces Department of Consumer
Affairs, Government of India’s belief that industry participation is crucial in advancing consumer rights and
ensuring a transparent, trustworthy marketplace.
Key industry organizations, as well as Voluntary Consumer Organizations (VCOs) and leading National Law
Universities (NLUs) will also be active participants in this meeting. Their insights, research, and regulatory
perspectives will provide valuable input into shaping robust and enforceable solutions.
The Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, in its
unwavering commitment to safeguarding consumer rights and promoting fair trade practices, is proactively
working to curb the unfair trade practice of dark patterns—deceptive user interface designs that mislead or
manipulate consumers into making unintended choices. These practices erode consumer trust, distort fair
market dynamics, and pose a serious threat to the integrity of digital commerce.
The Department has taken several significant steps to combat dark patterns. After extensive stakeholder
th
consultation, the department issued comprehensive guidelines on the prevention of dark patterns on 30
November 2023 recognizing 13 prominent dark patterns in e-commerce including False Urgency, Basket
Sneaking, Confirm Shaming, Forced action, Subscription trap, Interface interference, Bait and Switch, Drip
Pricing, Disguised advertisement, Nagging, Trick question, Saas Billing, and Rogue Malwares.
Among the Department’s pioneering initiatives is the Dark Patterns Buster Hackathon 2023, launched on 26th
October 2023 in collaboration with IIT (BHU). This nationwide innovation challenge invited students and
individuals from IITs, NITs, and other universities to design technological solutions—apps, browser
extensions, and AI tools—to detect and fight dark patterns. Building upon the outcomes of the hackathon, the
Department has since developed, in collaboration with IIT (BHU) three powerful consumer protection apps
which were launched on National Consumers Day 2024.
The department has done widespread consumer awareness campaigns and actively monitors e-commerce
platforms to identify and discourage deceptive practices. The Department has also engaged in continuous
dialogue with e-commerce platforms, policy think tanks, and consumer organizations to ensure a holistic and
inclusive approach to consumer protection in e-commerce.The Department emphasizes that consumer protection and ease of doing business are not mutually exclusive;
rather, they are complementary goals. This stakeholder meeting exemplifies the Department’s progressive,
participatory approach to governance—one that strengthens the regulatory ecosystem while promoting a level
playing field for businesses.
By fostering such public-private partnerships, the Department of Consumer Affairs continues to champion a
future where consumer safety is paramount and digital marketplaces are governed by fairness, transparency,
and accountability.
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Abhishek Dayal/Nihi Sharma
(Release ID: 2131262)