Dark patterns that you need to watch out for while buying insurance
Irdai) issued guidelines on 2 April, 2026. Insurers and e-platforms have been directed to comply with the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) guidelines on dark patterns issued in 2023.
Entities have 15 days to self-assess and one month to submit a “clean-up” action plan.The rise of dark patterns is closely tied to insurance going digital.Aayush Dubey, research head and co-founder of Beshak.org Insurance, says the online shift has fundamentally altered how policies are sold."Today, most buying and renewal decisions happen online, where the way options are shown, selected, or explained can influence customer choices," Dubey explained. "Even small design elements, like what is pre-selected or what is made more visible, can influence decisions at that moment."According to Prof.
Manoj K. Pandey, associate professor at BIMTECH, these are deliberate systems, not technical glitches."Dark patterns are inbuilt algorithms which influence the cognitive-behavioural response of an online shopper," he said.
“The most common tools are generating a sense of urgency, easy entry but difficult exit, and adding additional items without consent.”The CCPA has identified 13 distinct dark patterns used by digital platforms. In insurance, these can lock consumers into long-term financial commitments without full awareness.False urgency: Messages such as “3 people are viewing this policy right now.”Basket sneaking: Add-ons or riders added without explicit consent.Confirm shaming: Language designed to induce guilt, such as “No, I don’t want to protect my family.”Auto-renew traps: Policies renewed without clear, explicit consent.Drip pricing: Final premium (including GST and fees) revealed only at checkout.Nagging: Repeated pop-ups pushing
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