BigBasket & Dark Patterns: Self-Audit Complete

New Delhi, Oct 6 (PTI) Tata-owned online grocer BigBasket on Monday said it has completed a comprehensive self-audit of its quick commerce platform to ensure compliance with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) guidelines and advisories issued in 2023 and 2025 to curb dark patterns.

The declaration of audit completion has been formally submitted to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, the company said in a statement.

Dark patterns include practices like false urgency alerts, hidden costs added at checkout, subscription traps, and disguised advertisements that manipulate consumer choices.

In June this year, the CCPA directed e-commerce platforms to conduct self-audits within three months to identify and remove dark patterns that mislead consumers into unintended actions.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry had said that all e-commerce platforms must examine their interfaces for practices that undermine consumer choice or constitute unfair trade practices.

"Completing this self-audit demonstrates our proactive commitment to ensuring every customer interaction is fair, transparent, and free from manipulative practices. We see this as an important step towards reinforcing consumer confidence while supporting the government's efforts to build a more responsible and transparent digital economy," Rohit Subramanian, Legal Counsel at BigBasket, said.

BigBasket offers 10-minute delivery across an assortment of more than 20,000 products, including groceries, fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, medicines, fashion, electronics, and beauty items, in over 60 cities, operating through a network of more than 700 dark stores.