Call for Chapters: The Architecture of Deception - Consumers, Dark Patterns and the Limits of Consent (Edited Book with ISBN, No Fee)

The Chair on Consumer Research and Policy (CCRP) was established at the National University of Study and Research in Law (NUSRL), Ranchi in October 2024 by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, to promote research, teaching and training in consumer law. The Chair functions as a think tank for research and policy issues on consumer affairs and works in furtherance of the objectives of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. This call is issued under the aegis of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India.

NUSRL, Ranchi was established by the Jharkhand Government under the National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi Act 2010 and offers B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), LL.M., Ph.D. and postgraduate diploma programmes. Prof. (Dr.) Ashok R. Patil is the Vice-Chancellor.

CCRP invites original and unpublished chapters for an edited volume titled The Architecture of Deception: Consumers, Dark Patterns and the Limits of Consent. The volume treats dark patterns not as a marginal design quirk but as a structural challenge to consumer law's oldest assumption: that a transaction reflects a free and informed choice. It asks how consumer law can recognise harm that leaves no bruise, provide remedies for consent that was never quite free, and hold accountable a wrong that is coded rather than spoken. Contributions are welcome from academicians, practitioners, policy experts and law students that interrogate these questions critically and propose what an honest digital marketplace might require.

Selected papers will be published as chapters in an accredited book bearing an ISBN. The book will be published under the aegis of the Chair on Consumer Research and Policy, established by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Government of India.

1. Defining and Detecting Dark Patterns

• The CCPA (Prevention of Dark Patterns) Guidelines, 2023: scope, gaps and enforcement record so far
• Taxonomies of dark patterns: drip pricing, confirmshaming, forced action, false urgency, nagging and basket sneaking
• Comparative regulatory definitions: India, EU (Digital Services Act), US (FTC) and the difficulty of a universal standard

2. Consent as a Legal Fiction

• Manufactured consent through interface design: pre-ticked boxes, disguised ads and asymmetric choice architecture
• Cookie banners, subscription traps and the illusion of free choice
• Contract law's silence on manipulated assent: does consideration survive a dark pattern?

3. Platforms, Algorithms and Behavioural Exploitation

• Personalisation engines and the line between targeted marketing and manipulation
• Dynamic and drip pricing as algorithmically enabled dark patterns
• Recommender systems, infinite scroll and engagement-maximising design as consumer harm

4. Vulnerable Users in a Manipulated Marketplace

• Children and gamified purchase design (loot boxes, in-app nagging, cartoon-mascot dark patterns)
• Elderly and first-time digital users navigating fake urgency and subscription traps
• Gig workers and dark patterns in platform onboarding, ratings and payout design

5. Enforcement, Remedies and Institutional Response

• CCPA's enforcement actions against e-commerce and edtech platforms: case studies and outcomes
• Jurisdictional overlap between the CCPA, CCI and sectoral regulators (RBI, SEBI, TRAI) in policing dark patterns
• Private remedies: can Section 2(47) of the CPA, 2019 (unfair trade practice) or contract/tort law fill enforcement gaps?

Authors may choose any other topic, provided it reasonably falls within the ambit of the themes and sub-themes.

The call is open to individuals engaged in academic research, legal practice and public policy. Submissions are invited from:

• Academicians and faculty members
• Legal practitioners and policy professionals
• Research scholars and doctoral candidates
• Postgraduate and undergraduate students from recognised universities and institutions

Interdisciplinary contributions from fields such as law, economics, public policy, business and technology are also encouraged, provided they engage with issues relating to consumer protection, market regulation or consumer rights. A maximum of two authors per submission is permitted.

• Articles: 5,000 to 6,000 words
• Short Articles: 2,500 to 4,000 words
• Legislative Comments: 1,500 to 2,500 words
• Book Reviews: 1,000 to 2,500 words

Word limits are inclusive of footnotes. Submissions must be original and unpublished and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All submissions must be free from plagiarism; the use of generative AI tools for drafting substantive portions of the manuscript is discouraged, and authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of their work.

• Font: Times New Roman
• Font size: 16/14 pt for headings and sub-headings, 12 pt for main text, 10 pt for footnotes
• Line spacing: 1.5 for main text, single spacing for footnotes
• Alignment: justified
• Citations: Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st Edition)
• File format: Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx)

A separate cover page must carry the name of the author(s), institutional affiliation, designation, contact email and phone number. The cover page is submitted as a separate document and must not form part of the main chapter file. All submissions undergo a blind peer review, so nothing in the manuscript should reveal the author's name or institutional affiliation.

Submission and publication are entirely free of cost. Selected papers will be published as chapters in an accredited book bearing an ISBN, and each author will receive one complimentary copy of the published volume. Publication is scheduled for November to December 2026.

Submit the manuscript in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx), with the cover page as a separate document, through the official Google Form (the registration link on this page) on or before 30 October 2026. The form requires sign-in to a Google account. Read the brochure for the full guidelines before submitting. The brochure itself gives no query email; the Chair's address, ccrp@nusrlranchi.ac.in, is given in the organiser's listing of the call. The Faculty Convenor cum Editor is Mr. Abhinav Gupta, Chair on Consumer Research and Policy, NUSRL Ranchi.

Patron cum Chief Editor: Prof. (Dr.) Ashok R. Patil, Vice-Chancellor, NUSRL Ranchi. Faculty Convenor cum Editor: Mr. Abhinav Gupta, Chair on Consumer Research and Policy, NUSRL Ranchi. Student Editor-in-Chief: Ms. Aditi Vivek Singh (4th Year, B.A., LL.B.). Co-Editors-in-Chief: Ms. Akshara and Ms. Fatima (3rd Year, B.A., LL.B.).

The organisers state that the dates in the call are tentative and may be subject to change at the discretion of the organising body.