<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;">The Government has urged online platforms to refrain from adopting dark patterns harming consumer interest. Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs Rohit Kumar Singh strongly advised online platforms to not engage in unfair trade practices by incorporating dark patterns in their online interface to manipulate consumer choice and violate consumer rights.</span></p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;">The dark patterns involve using a design and choice architecture to trick, coerce or influence consumers to make choices not in their best interest and constitute unfair trade practice.</span></p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><br />''</p>''<p style="margin: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222;">Ministry of Consumer Affairs said that Consumers can report dark patterns instances and report manipulative online practices on the National Consumer Helpline by calling 1915.</span></p>