Watchdog fines SpiceJet 100,000 rupees for dark patterns

India's consumer protection watchdog has fined low-cost airline SpiceJet 100,000 rupees for using deceptive design practices on its flight booking website. The penalty was imposed by the Central Consumer Protection Authority on July 17, 2026, for employing so-called "dark patterns" that manipulate user choices.

The authority found that SpiceJet's platform automatically enrolled customers into its SpiceClub Loyalty Programme through a pre-ticked checkbox during the booking process. Customers were also deemed to have consented to receive promotional messages via SMS, WhatsApp, and email because the opt-in option was selected by default, requiring no affirmative action from the user. Investigators noted that even after the CCPA issued a notice to the airline, SpiceJet merely replaced one pre-ticked checkbox with another for promotional messages, continuing the same practice in a different form.

The CCPA's order identified three specific dark patterns: "forced action" through automatic loyalty program enrollment; "interface interference" by presenting the company's preferred option as the default; and "trick question" through the use of confusing, negatively worded consent language...