Cyber Governance & Audit
Dark Pattern Audit & Remediation
Dark patterns - confirmshaming, forced continuity, drip pricing, fake urgency, disguised ads, basket sneaking and nagging - now carry real legal risk. India's Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) recognizes 13 specific dark patterns as unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, and the FTC and EU DSA/UCPD enforce similar rules. We audit your checkout, subscription, cancellation and consent flows against these frameworks and fix what we find.
Typical timeline
4–12 weeks
Engagement model
Gap → remediate → audit
How it runs
Classify → assess → close → certify
Overview
Growth tactics that manipulate rather than inform - fake urgency counters, pre-ticked add-ons, confirmshaming, hidden cancellation flows - are no longer just a UX debate. India's CCPA guidelines name 13 specific patterns as unfair trade practices, and the FTC and EU regulators are enforcing similar rules against global platforms.
We walk your real user journeys - signup, checkout, subscription and cancellation - the way an investigator or a regulator would, and map every finding to the specific clause it violates.
At a glance
- Flow-by-flow audit of checkout, subscription, cancellation and consent journeys
- Findings mapped to the CCPA's 13 recognized dark patterns
- Cross-mapping to FTC guidance and the EU DSA/UCPD for global products
- Prioritized remediation with honest-by-design alternatives
Coverage
What we cover
Checkout & Pricing
Drip pricing, hidden fees, pre-selected add-ons and basket sneaking at the point of payment.
Subscription & Cancellation
Forced continuity, subscription traps and friction deliberately added to the cancellation flow.
Consent & Nagging
Confirmshaming, disguised ads, and consent flows designed to wear the user down into agreeing.
Urgency & Social Proof
Fake countdown timers, false scarcity claims and fabricated activity or review notifications.
Outcomes
What you get
Methodology
How the engagement runs
Map
Inventory the journeys where dark patterns typically hide - signup, checkout, cancellation, consent, pricing.
Audit
Manual review against the CCPA's dark-pattern taxonomy, FTC guidance and EU rules.
Report
Evidence-backed findings with screenshots, severity and legal-exposure notes.
Remediate
Honest-by-design pattern fixes and a verification re-test.
Deliverables
What lands in your inbox
- Dark pattern audit report
- CCPA taxonomy mapping
- Screenshot evidence pack
- Remediation & re-test
Why A5
Why teams pick us
Auditor + engineer
We close the technical gaps and prepare the paperwork - one accountable partner, not two vendors.
Regulator-ready evidence
Documentation structured the way CERT-In, RBI, SEBI and certification bodies expect.
No checkbox theatre
Controls that actually reduce risk, mapped to the standard - defensible under scrutiny.
First-time pass
Mock audits and remediation tracking so the real audit holds no surprises.
FAQ
Frequently asked
What counts as a dark pattern under Indian law?
The CCPA's 2023 guidelines recognize 13 patterns - including false urgency, basket sneaking, confirmshaming, forced action, subscription traps, drip pricing, disguised advertising, nagging and fake reviews - enforceable as unfair trade practices under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
Do you test subscription cancellation flows?
Yes - subscription traps and cancellation friction are among the most commonly cited violations, so we test them specifically alongside checkout and consent flows.
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Need dark pattern audit & remediation?
Prove both before launch.
Bring us your app, audit deadline, or security concern. We'll map the fastest path to WCAG conformance, VAPT coverage, and regulator-ready evidence.
