Dark Patterns In E-Commerce: The Legal Crackdown (Video)

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, acting through the Department of Consumer Affairs, has notified the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) (Amendment) Rules, 2026, vide Notification No. CG-DL-E-10092026-276125, published in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, Sub-section (i), dated 9 September 2026.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakhs on Dial4Trade Technologies Private Limited (Dial4Trade) for listing a regulated product, i.e., Ammonium Nitrate, on its e-commerce platform without any regulatory disclosures or warnings. The CCPA found Dial4Trade in violation of the Consumer Protection Act 2019 (the Act), Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 (E-Commerce Rules) read with the Explosives Act, 1884 and Ammonium Nitrate Rules, 2012.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (“FSSAI”) has, over the course of late May 2025, taken two connected regulatory steps aimed at curbing misleading claims on packaged food labels. First, FSSAI issued a formal advisory to all Food Business Operators (“FBOs”) directing them to discontinue the use of the term “100%” on food labels, packaging, and promotional material. Second, and consistent with the concerns underlying that advisory, FSSAI issued a detailed notice to a confectionery company in India, flagging specific instances of non-compliant labelling and misleading claims across several of its product lines.

In this episode of IndiaLaw LLP Podcast Bite, Divyansh examines the growing regulatory focus on dark patterns in e-commerce and the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s push for platforms to conduct self-audits.

India's consumer protection authority has begun actively penalizing companies for using manipulative interface designs, marking a decisive shift from advisory warnings to enforcement action. Recent cases against major platforms reveal how pre-selected checkboxes, guilt-inducing language, and misleading button labels are now being prosecuted as unfair trade practices.

On June 01, 2026, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) issued a significant order against Physicswallah Limited (hereinafter referred to as Party), the EdTech unicorn behind the pw.live platform, finding it guilty of deploying three distinct dark patterns. The matter taken up suo moto by CCPA culminated in a penalty of INR 5,00,000 and a binding direction to eliminate all dark patterns from the platform immediately.

India's food safety regulator has challenged Diageo's Royal Challenge whisky labeling, questioning claims about maturation in American oak casks and the presence of imported Scotch. The FSSAI's enforcement action raises critical questions about how alcoholic beverage manufacturers substantiate age claims, ingredient disclosures, and product characteristics under India's evolving regulatory framework.

India's food safety regulator has issued a stark warning to celebrities and social media influencers: verify health and nutritional claims before promoting food products, or face potential legal consequences. As influencer advertising violations surge to over 21% of all advertising complaints, the question of accountability has moved from public backlash to formal regulatory scrutiny, with recent show-cause notices issued to major Bollywood stars.

When India's food regulator ordered Dabur to stop selling products labeled "100% Pure," the Delhi High Court intervened with an interim stay. The case raises fundamental questions about how absolute advertising claims should be regulated and whether prohibitory action can be taken without adequate procedural safeguards.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, operating through its Trade and International Cooperation Division, has issued a significant public notice that carries important implications for the import community across the country.