{"id":300843,"date":"2023-09-06T10:30:11","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T05:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/?p=300843"},"modified":"2023-09-06T10:29:56","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T04:59:56","slug":"asci-guidelines-deceptive-design-patterns-in-digital-media-advertisements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scconline.com\/blog\/post\/2023\/09\/06\/asci-guidelines-deceptive-design-patterns-in-digital-media-advertisements\/","title":{"rendered":"ASCI Guidelines on deceptive design patterns in digital media advertisements to be applicable from 01-09-2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Advertising Standards Council of India (‘ASCI’) had published self-regulatory guidelines for Online Deceptive Design Patterns in Advertising (‘ASCI Guidelines’) to address the issue of deceptive design patterns prevailing in online advertising. These guidelines will come into effect from 01-09-2023.<\/p>\n

As per the preamble of the guidelines, Online Deceptive Design Patterns commonly known as “Dark Patterns” is an umbrella term referring to a wide variety of practices commonly found in online user interfaces that lead consumers to make choices that often are not in their best interests.<\/p>\n

As per the OECD Committee on Consumer Policy, “dark commercial patterns are business practices employing elements of digital choice architecture, in online user interfaces, that subvert or impair consumer autonomy, decision-making or choice. They often deceive, coerce or manipulate consumers and are likely to cause direct or indirect consumer detriment in various ways, though it may be difficult or impossible to measure such detriment in many instances.”1<\/sup><\/a> Dark Patterns share one or more end-goals, for example getting consumers to purchase, purchase more of, or continue to purchase, a good or service that they would otherwise not purchase or purchase in lesser quantity; to spend more money on a purchase or time on a service than desired; or to give up more personal data than desired, with the ultimate purpose of increasing business revenue.<\/p>\n

ACSI code requires ads to be honest, and not abuse the trust or lack of expertise of the consumer, thus, to ensure that advertisements do not breach the code, the following guidelines are to be applied to digital advertising:<\/p>\n