The Indian government is moving to address the proliferation of 'dark patterns' on e-commerce sites, while halfway across the world, Amazon is embroiled in two new lawsuits over the same issue in the US state of Arizona.
One lawsuit accuses Amazon of having used "deceptive business practices" through the use of "dark patterns," specifically to discourage users from unsubscribing from Amazon Prime.
The second lawsuit is being brought by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, and it accuses the e-commerce company of maintaining a monopoly by forcing third-party sellers to sign agreements that prevent them from offering lower prices anywhere else but on Amazon's platform.
Arizona seeks legal action to stop Amazon's allegedly deceptive and anticompetitive practices and to impose penalties and disgorgement of the profits it has derived from these practices.
Amazon, for its part, said that it was surprised and disappointed by the lawsuits, and defended the clarity of its Prime subscription cancellation processes, which it claims are deliberately easy. The cherry on top, Amazon argued, was that the lawsuits might inadvertently cause consumers to pay higher prices.
The problem with 'dark patterns' is not unique to the US. This is an international problem which has invaded places even like India. 'Dark patterns' are manipulative techniques that force people to do things they didn't really intend to—for example, buying something they didn't want to buy.
India has taken action in recent months by announcing draft guidelines intended to curtail the growth of 'dark patterns' that big online platforms have been adopting. Beyond this, the Digital India Act is set to regulate such tactics on the internet, ensuring the safety of users and transparency.
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