CCPA Imposes ₹10 Lakh Penalty on Ola for Pre-Ride ‘Tip’ Feature; Directs Platform to Discontinue Practice

Why in News

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) fined Ola ₹10 lakh and directed it to stop soliciting pre-ride tips or add-on payments above the upfront fare.

Prelims Pointers

• The CCPA is established under Section 10 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 to protect consumer rights.
• Dark patterns are deceptive digital designs that manipulate users into choices they did not intend to make.
• The Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023 specify practices including:
  1. Confirm shaming uses fear, shame or guilt to influence a commercial decision.
  2. Basket sneaking adds paid items or services without consent.
  3. Drip pricing conceals price components upfront or reveals them later.
• Renaming a pre-ride ‘tip’ as an ‘add-on’ did not remove the misleading nature of Ola’s payment prompt.

Prelims Traps

• “An extra item added to the cart without consent is drip pricing.” This is incorrect. It is basket sneaking. Drip pricing concerns undisclosed price components.
• “Dark patterns require hacking or theft of personal data.” This is incorrect. Manipulative interface design can itself constitute a dark pattern.