Consumer watchdog fines PhysicsWallah, McAfee for deploying dark patterns on digital platforms

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed penalties on edtech platform PhysicsWallah and cybersecurity company McAfee Software India for deploying "dark patterns" on their digital platforms.

The consumer watchdog has fined PhysicsWallah Ltd ₹5 lakh and McAfee Software India Pvt Ltd ₹1 lakh.

The action was 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, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs said on Wednesday.

What CCPA found in PhysicsWallah case

The CCPA said it took suo motu cognisance of certain practices on PhysicsWallah's platform and found that consumers were being influenced through interface designs that affected their ability to make free and informed choices.

According to the authority, a donation of ₹10 to the PW Foundation was automatically selected during checkout and added to the total payable amount without the consumer's explicit consent.

Consumers were shown emotional messages related to children's education, healthcare and marriages, “which had the effect of inducing guilt and nudging consumers to retain the donation amount.”

The watchdog also found that courses advertised as "free" could only be accessed after users shared personal information such as their mobile numbers and email addresses.

Its examination revealed that the content offered remained the same across user accounts, indicating that mandatory data collection was not essential for accessing the courses.

The authority identified the practices as "basket sneaking", "confirm shaming" and "forced action", which are classified as dark patterns under the 2023 guidelines.

“Every e-commerce entity shall only record the consent of a consumer for the purchase of any good or service offered on its platform where such consent is expressed through an explicit and affirmative action, and no such entity shall record such consent automatically, including in the form of pre-ticked checkboxes,” the CCPA said in its order, highlighting Rule 4(9) of Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020.

It also said advertising courses as "free" without clearly disclosing mandatory registration and data-sharing requirements was misleading.

The authority held that the practices amounted to unfair trade practices and interfered with consumers' ability to make informed decisions.

It noted that a large number of users on the platform are students, including minors, making the issue a matter of serious consumer protection concern.

PhysicsWallah has been directed to ensure that no dark patterns are deployed on any of its digital interfaces and to pay a penalty of ₹5 lakh.

McAfee's dark pattern

The CCPA examined McAfee's subscription renewal process and found that consumers were not provided a neutral choice while deciding whether to renew their subscriptions.

According to the authority, users were prominently shown two options -- "Renew Now" and "Accept Risk" -- effectively portraying non-renewal as a risky decision.

The watchdog said the phrase "Accept Risk" suggested consumers would be exposed to cybersecurity threats if they chose not to renew their subscription.

It said the interface design created pressure on consumers to continue their subscriptions and identified the practices as "confirm shaming", "interface interference", "trick question" and "forced action".

CCPA observed that consumers should be able to make subscription decisions freely and without fear-based messaging or misleading design elements.

It held that the renewal interface used deceptive practices that could influence consumer decisions and amount to unfair trade practices.

McAfee has been directed to ensure that no dark patterns are employed on its platform, website, application or any other digital interface and to pay a penalty of ₹1 lakh.

The ministry said the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, notified on November 30, 2023, identify 13 dark patterns considered unfair trade practices, including basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, interface interference and trick questions.

The CCPA had issued an advisory on June 5, 2025, asking e-commerce companies and digital platforms to conduct self-audits and remove dark patterns from their interfaces.