The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh on SpiceJet Limited for adopting deceptive design practices, commonly known as "dark patterns", on its flight booking platform.
The Authority found that consumers were automatically enrolled in the Spice Club Loyalty Programme through a pre-ticked checkbox, without their explicit consent. It also observed that customers were deemed to have agreed to receive promotional messages because the consent option was pre-selected by default.
According to the CCPA, even after the issuance of a notice, SpiceJet replaced the earlier mechanism with another pre-ticked checkbox seeking consent for promotional messages via SMS, WhatsApp and email, thereby continuing the same practice in a different form.
The Authority stated that such practices undermine consumer autonomy, impair informed decision-making and are inconsistent with the principles of fair and transparent consumer engagement.
During the proceedings, SpiceJet submitted that the issue had occurred due to a technical error. The CCPA directed the airline to furnish an undertaking confirming that the necessary corrective measures had been implemented and would remain in place permanently.
