CCPA fines SpiceJet Rs 1 lakh for dark patterns
India's consumer regulator penalised SpiceJet over pre-ticked consent boxes, a precedent that reaches every e-commerce and quick commerce checkout.
- The CCPA fined SpiceJet Rs 1 lakh on 17 July for three named dark patterns on its booking site.
- The fine is small, but the regulator is now acting on individual complaints, not just advisories.
- Banned tactics include drip pricing, false urgency and basket sneaking, common across online checkouts.
The Central Consumer Protection Authority fined SpiceJet Rs 1 lakh on 17 July for deploying dark patterns on its online booking platform. The order was reported by Free Press Journal. Dark patterns are interface tricks that push users into choices they did not intend to make.
What the regulator flagged
The CCPA named three practices. The first was forced action. SpiceJet enrolled passengers into its SpiceClub loyalty programme through a pre-ticked checkbox. The second was interface interference, where the airline’s preferred option was set as the default. The third was a trick question, using negatively worded consent language that confused users. When SpiceJet removed the first pre-ticked box, it replaced it with another that assumed consent to promotional messages on SMS, WhatsApp and email. The regulator said passive, pre-ticked structures alter consumer rights without express agreement.
Why a small fine still matters
The Rs 1 lakh penalty is small. The precedent is not. The CCPA has been directing e-commerce platforms to self-audit and remove dark patterns from their journeys. SpiceJet must file an undertaking confirming the practices are gone and submit a compliance report within 15 days. The list of banned tactics runs wider than pre-ticked boxes. It includes drip pricing, false urgency, subscription traps and basket sneaking. Every one of those is common at e-commerce and quick commerce checkouts, and they multiply during the festive season when traffic spikes. This order signals the regulator will act on individual complaints, not only broad advisories.
What an operator does with this
Run an audit of your own checkout this week. Look for pre-ticked consent, default opt-ins, fees that appear late, and countdown timers that manufacture urgency. Each is now an enforcement target. The cost of a fine is minor, but a public order damages trust with the exact customers a brand spends to acquire. Clean consent design is cheaper than a rebuild under regulatory pressure. Make the honest path the default, and let the customer choose the add-ons rather than discovering them.
Zane’s analysis draws on original reporting by Free Press Journal. Read the original report.