Dark Pattern Audit: Government May Soon Reveal Names Of Compliant Companies | Profit Exclusive

The Ministry of Consumer Affairs will soon announce the names of the companies with dark pattern audits, sources told NDTV Profit. The firms have begun submitting audit reports to the Ministry and those yet to comply are being nudged.

The government had asked e-commerce and online platforms to conduct audits to weed out dark patterns such as drip pricing and hidden charges. Discussions are underway with Amazon, Flipkart, Swiggy, Zomato, Jio Mart, MakeMyTrip, Ola, Uber, Meta, WhatsApp, and others.

Dark pattern is a trick used by apps and websites to make users do something they don't really want to do. It involves actions like false urgency, subscription traps, and basket sneaking.