LocalCircles Survey- 80% of OTT users become victims of digital fraud: 61% men and 39% women included; demand for action

The use of dark patterns (digital fraud) that mislead users is increasing on OTT platforms. According to a survey by LocalCircles, 8 out of 10 or 80% Indian users admitted that they have been victims of such deceptive strategies on OTT apps. The survey included responses from more than 1.18 lakh people from 324 districts of the country. Of these, 61% were men and 39% were women. Amidst the increasing complaints, the government is being demanded to come down hard on OTT companies and stop deceptive practices like dark patterns. Lawsuit against Amazon Prime Video in Australia: A lawsuit has been filed against Amazon in Australia for starting advertisements in Prime Video and charging additional fees. The regulator alleges that Amazon made arbitrary changes in the terms of Prime subscription. More than 8.5 lakh customers who already pay an annual fee will have to pay extra for the ad-free service when advertising starts in 2024. The company provided service with less facilities to customers who did not do so. What are the rules in India Dark Pattern Prevention and Regulation Guidelines are in force in India from 30 November 2023. The rules apply to all digital platforms including e-commerce, apps, OTT, travel, food delivery. 13 types of dark patterns are banned in the guidelines. These include false urgency, subscription traps, drip pricing, disguised ads, confirmed shaming, and bait and switch. How users protect themselves Turn off auto-renewal before and after subscription, set payment alerts, read trial terms, and save screenshots of cancellations. The purpose of the dark pattern is to motivate the user to take a decision not on his own will, but through design and psychological methods, which will bring more profit to the company. —————- Read this news also… Claim- Government asked WhatsApp to stop username feature: Notice to Meta, sought reply in 3 days; Said- Like Telegram, there is a possibility of misuse, the Central Government has asked not to launch the username feature of WhatsApp in India at present. According to sources, news agency PTI said, the government has instructed Meta not to launch it in India until the talks on this feature are completed. Read the full news…



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