New Delhi, Nov. 18 -- The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Rules, 2025, could force e-commerce, ride-hailing and food delivery apps to rethink the way they design their interfaces.

For years, platforms have engaged in forced opt-ins, buried opt-outs, and misleading prompts to trick users into sharing more data than they intended.

Under the new DPDP Rules, notified on 14 November, these tactics, known as dark patterns, may face heightened scrutiny. The rules put consent at the centre of data processing, sharpening choice and control for users.

Withdrawal of consent for users must be as easy as giving it - translating into cleaner interfaces, fewer buried settings and tighter limits on what platforms can collect by default, said K...