The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed penalties on PhysicsWallah Limited and McAfee Software India Private Limited for using dark pattern practices that allegedly misled consumers and affected informed consumer choice on digital platforms.
PhysicsWallah has been fined ₹5 lakh, while McAfee has been fined ₹1 lakh, according to a statement by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs on Wednesday, 3 June.
Both companies have also been directed to remove such practices from their platforms and ensure that consumers are able to make informed choices without pressure or manipulation.
The action has been taken under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020, and the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.
In the case of PhysicsWallah, CCPA took suo motu cognizance of certain practices on its platform.
The authority found that a ₹10 donation to the PW Foundation was automatically selected during checkout and added to the payable amount without explicit consumer consent.
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The platform also showed emotional messages related to children’s education, healthcare and marriages, which encouraged users to keep the donation selected.
CCPA also found that courses advertised as “free” could be accessed only after users shared personal details such as mobile number and email address.
Its examination found that the same content remained available across user accounts, indicating that mandatory data collection was not essential for accessing the courses.
The authority identified basket sneaking, confirm shaming and forced action as dark patterns in the PhysicsWallah case.
In McAfee’s case, CCPA examined the company’s subscription renewal process and found that consumers were not given a neutral choice while deciding whether to renew their subscriptions.
Users were shown two options – “Renew Now” and “Accept Risk” – which, according to the authority, effectively portrayed non-renewal as a risky decision.
CCPA observed that the phrase “Accept Risk” suggested that consumers could be exposed to cybersecurity threats if they chose not to renew.
The authority said such a claim could not be justified or guaranteed by the company.
The authority identified confirm shaming, interface interference, trick question and forced action as dark patterns in McAfee’s renewal interface.
CCPA noted that consumers should be able to make subscription decisions freely, without fear-based messaging or misleading design elements.
McAfee has also been directed to ensure that no dark patterns are employed on its platform, website, application or any other digital interface.
The Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, were notified by CCPA on 30 November 2023.
The guidelines identify 13 dark patterns considered unfair trade practices, including basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, interface interference and trick questions.
CCPA had also issued an advisory on 5 June 2025 asking e-commerce companies and digital platforms to conduct self-audits and remove dark patterns from their interfaces.
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