Self-audit certificate
Dark pattern self-audit
Draft prepared on 3 November 2026 from a review of the code behind these pages. It checks 1Click Website India against the 13 dark patterns in the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns, 2023, as Rule 4(15) of the Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules asks once a year.
Draft, not yet signed. The proprietor signs this note after reading it.
What was checked
The home page and its website wizard, the policies page, the visual library, the dashboard pay screen for a signed-in purchase, the guest pay screen, and the screen that saves a website after payment.
Not built yet, and checked when each one ships: the one-time offer to connect a domain you own, Google sign-in before payment, credit packs, and the card and deck pay screens.
The 13 patterns
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False urgency
Result: none found. A test now fails the build if such a line appears on a marketing page.
What was checked
Checked: every page and pay screen above for countdowns, stock counters and lines that put a deadline on buying.
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Basket sneaking
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: what a payment contains. The order takes the product and the website only, and our server sets the amount from the price list. Nothing is added to the basket.
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Confirm shaming
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: the wording of every way to say no or go back on the wizard and the pay screens.
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Forced action
Result: none found. To check again when Google sign-in before payment ships.
What was checked
Checked: what is asked before payment. The wizard asks for a WhatsApp number because the website's WhatsApp button uses it. Saving and managing a website needs an account. No unrelated sign-up, app download or data sharing is asked.
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Subscription trap
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: how payments repeat. Every payment is one-time. Hosting renewal is a separate payment the owner chooses each year, and there is no automatic debit to cancel.
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Interface interference
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: the pay screens. Each shows the price, one Pay button with the price on it, and links to the terms and the refund policy beside it.
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Bait and switch
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: that the prices on the marketing pages match the prices the server charges. A test ties them together.
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Drip pricing
Result: none found. One open check: before the first live payment, the proprietor confirms in the Razorpay dashboard that the payment fee is not added to the amount the customer pays.
What was checked
Checked: whether a price grows after the first screen. The ₹250 yearly renewal sits next to ₹500 on the first screen and at checkout, and the paid add-ons are listed in the terms.
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Disguised advertisement
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: paid placement and adverts. No page carries a sponsored listing or an advert for anyone else, and card and deck samples are marked coming soon.
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Nagging
Result: one found and fixed on 3 November 2026. The pop-out came back on every later visit after someone closed it or chose "Maybe later". Now any answer ends it in that browser. To check the domain offer when it ships.
What was checked
Checked: pop-ups and repeated prompts. The wizard opens only when someone taps it. The home page has one "Preview first" pop-out, shown once a visit after someone scrolls or moves to leave. The domain offer is planned as one offer that a No ends for good.
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Trick question
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: the questions and tick boxes on the wizard, the pay screens and account settings, for double negatives and confusing wording.
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SaaS billing
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: trials and silent charges. No trial turns into a paid plan, and nothing is charged without a payment the person makes.
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Rogue malware
Result: none found.
What was checked
Checked: the scripts the pages load: our own scripts and, on the home page, the Plausible analytics script. No page offers a download or shows a fake warning.
Other findings
No landline. The rules ask for landline and mobile numbers for customer care and the grievance officer. 1Click Website India has no landline, so customer care runs on email and a mobile number. Recorded as a gap.
One box ticked in advance. In account settings, the "Product updates" email box starts ticked for a new account. Consent to email needs a person to tick it. To fix with the privacy consent work, so the box starts unticked.