Wringing Consent From Consumers: A Violation Of Privacy And Consumer Rights

Introduction

The State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh, ruled against a coffee store for collecting and using customer's mobile numbers without consent, citing unfair trade practiced and dark patterns. The court emphasized that mobile numbers are indicative of sensitive personal data like names, addresses, location and even bank account details including OTPs for financial transactions. Unauthorized access to such data without consent is a privacy breach, strictly governed by data protection laws¹.

What does the Advisory say?

The complainant was forced to provide his mobile number to place an order at a coffee shop, as the cashier claimed it was mandatory for billing and marketing purposes. After receiving the bill, the complainant got a message stating that his Loyalty Wallet had been credited with 19.15 points with the expiry date of the same. The complainant alleged that the practice amounts to "Dark Patterns", which the government