India’s e-commerce boom has a dark side that’s proving hard to police: Digital deception at scale

Digital commerce in India has become a theatre of quiet deception. Sellers cheat by design, and in the rush of a 10-minute grocery delivery, hundreds of millions of consumers rarely notice they are being fleeced.In 1919, John Maynard Keynes marvelled at the Londoner who could order by phone “various products of the whole earth” from his bed while sipping his morning tea. A century later, India has democratized this convenience through cheap smartphones and a national system of instant mobile payments, overtaking the US to emerge as the second-largest e-retail market after China by number of shoppers.Yet, this innovation is being hijacked by ‘dark patterns’—design elements that trick users into overpaying or paying for things they never wanted.

This global scourge has assumed chaotic proportions in India. From legacy banks and duopolistic airlines to venture-backed startups, all businesses seem to be gaming their digital interface. While digital commerce has exploded, the guardrails remain weak.

Merchants are exploiting the gap between a newly connected population and online regulation that is only just starting to find its teeth. A 2024 study across 26 countries by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network found that 76% of websites and apps employed some kind of manipulation of customer choice. For India, however, the number was as high as 98%, according to a separate survey by the country’s Advertising Standards Council.

India’s aviation industry has been at the cutting edge of sharp practices. In 2024, regulators highlighted how IndiGo, the largest domestic carrier, shamed customers into buying insurance. Buttons to decline the option were labelled, “No, I will take the risk.” Authorities also