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Majority of popular Indian apps across sectors employ unethical design practices known as “dark patterns” that manipulate users into making unintended choices, a recent report by ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India) Academy and Parallel revealed.

Dark patterns are manipulative design techniques used in websites, apps, and other digital interfaces to trick or coerce users into making decisions that they might not otherwise make. These deceptive practices are often employed to benefit the company or service at the expense of the user’s best interest.

An overwhelming 98% of the 53 apps studied exhibited at least one deceptive pattern, with an average of 2.7 such patterns per app, the report showed. These apps, spanning across nine industries including cab booking, fintech, edtech, and health tech, collectively have over 21 billion downloads.

Among the deceptive practices identified, “Privacy Deception” was the most prevalent, appearing in 79.2% of the apps studied. This pattern often involves manipulating users into sharing more personal data than they might otherwise choose to, such as through vague or misleading consent forms.

Moreover, in 43 of the 53 apps studied, deceptive patterns were found in settings or profile sections, primarily related to data privacy and security settings.

Another common tactic, “Interface Interference”, was found in 45.3% of apps. This practice involves highlighting or obscuring certain parts of the user interface to nudge users toward a specific action, such as accepting marketing updates or agreeing to tracking permissions.

Other notable patterns include “Drip Pricing”, where additional fees are gradually revealed during a transaction, making the final cost higher than initially expected, and “False Urgency”, which creates a sense of artificial pressure by suggesting limited time offers or low stock availability.

The report also underscored the difficulty users face in deleting their accounts, particularly in ecommerce apps, where all nine apps studied including Flipkart, Amazon, Meesho and Nykaa made it difficult for users to delete their accounts. While four out of five health tech apps among Tata 1mg, Curefit, Pharm Easy, Practo and Healthify Me relied on Time based Pressure (False Urgency) to rush users into decisions.