CCPA imposes ₹1 lakh penalty on SpiceJet for dark patterns on its booking platform
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) imposed a ₹1 lakh penalty on SpiceJet, announced on 17 July 2026, for dark patterns such as pre-ticked enrolment into its loyalty programme.
Summary
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, imposed a penalty of ₹1,00,000 on SpiceJet Limited for using dark patterns on its flight booking platform, as announced on 17 July 2026. CCPA found that consumers were automatically enrolled in the Spice Club Loyalty Programme through a pre-ticked checkbox and treated as agreeing to promotional messages by default. CCPA flagged the practices as Forced Action, Interface Interference and Trick Question, and held that they violated the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, Rule 4(9) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 and the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023.
Key facts
- Announced
- 17 July 2026
- Authority
- CCPA (Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare)
- Penalty
- ₹1 lakh on SpiceJet Ltd
- Practice
- Pre-ticked enrolment in Spice Club Loyalty Programme; default consent to promotions
- Dark patterns flagged
- Forced Action, Interface Interference, Trick Question
- Laws violated
- CPA 2019; E-Commerce Rules 2020 Rule 4(9); Dark Patterns Guidelines 2023
Practice MCQs 2 questions
What penalty did the CCPA impose on SpiceJet for dark patterns on its flight booking platform (announced 17 July 2026)?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — ₹1 lakh
CCPA imposed a penalty of ₹1,00,000 on SpiceJet Limited.
Automatic enrolment of consumers into SpiceJet's loyalty programme through a pre-ticked checkbox was flagged by CCPA as which dark pattern?
Show answer
Correct answer: C — Forced Action
CCPA classified the pre-ticked automatic enrolment into the SpiceClub Loyalty Programme as 'Forced Action'.