As we enter 2024-2025, India’s digital landscape continues to grow exponentially. With this growth comes a troubling phenomenon—dark patterns.

These manipulative design tactics aim to deceive users into taking unintended actions, often at the cost of privacy, money, or time. While dark patterns are a global issue, their impact is increasingly felt in India, where digital adoption is surging. What are dark patterns, and why are they such a pressing concern in 2024-2025?

1. What are Dark Patterns?

Dark patterns are deceptive design choices websites and apps use to subtly steer users into actions they might not otherwise take. These tactics can range from making it difficult to unsubscribe from a service to hide key information, leading users to unknowingly accept unfavourable terms. In essence, dark patterns exploit psychological loopholes in user behaviour to benefit businesses at the user’s expense.

2. The Growing Presence in India’s Digital Economy

With India’s rapid digital transformation, especially post-pandemic, more people are engaging with online services than ever before. Whether shopping, streaming, or banking, users are constantly navigating the web. Unfortunately, this increased engagement has led to a rise in dark patterns in the Indian context, especially on e-commerce platforms, digital payment gateways, and even government-related apps.

3. Why Dark Patterns Are Dangerous

Dark patterns aren’t just annoying—they can lead to serious consequences. For one, they erode trust between users and platforms. Once consumers feel tricked, they are less likely to engage with a brand again. Moreover, these deceptive tactics often involve the misuse of personal data, exposing users to privacy risks. For a country like India, where digital literacy varies significantly, dark patterns disproportionately impact less tech-savvy users, making it even more problematic.

4. Legal & Regulatory Challenges in India

Despite the rising concern, India currently lacks specific laws to combat dark patterns. The Consumer Protection Act offers some relief by targeting unfair trade practices, but the legislation isn’t explicitly designed to address deceptive online design. In contrast, regions like the European Union have stricter data privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which includes protections against dark patterns.

5. Allocate Budget Smartly

Micro-influencers often have higher engagement rates compared to larger influencers—and they cost less. Collaborate with local or niche influencers aligned with Thinkbar’s brand to increase trust and reach.

Types of Dark Patterns in 2024–2025

Privacy Deception

Manipulating users into unknowingly sharing more personal data than intended.

Have you ever agreed to an app’s terms & conditions without being able to read what the terms are?

Interface Interference

Highlighting certain information on the interface and hiding others, misdirecting users into taking an action.

Have you noticed checkboxes for receiving promotional emails are often pre-checked by default when you create an account?

Nagging

Constant pop-ups and notifications pushing users to take an action, making it difficult to finish their task at hand.

Have you ever attempted to close a popup ad, only for it to show up again later in your journey in a different form?

Trick Questions

Deliberate use of confusing or vague language, misdirecting users into taking an action.

Have you ever clicked on the wrong option for a confusing question that tricked you into unintended actions?