Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Compliance and Enforcement Priorities: Manipulative Digital Conduct, Pricing Claims and Competition in Essential Services
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production | SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Reserve Bank of India | Competition Commission of India | Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution
The ACCC has unveiled its compliance and enforcement priorities for 2026-27, focusing on manipulative digital practices, misleading pricing, and competition in essential services. The agency will specifically target “dark patterns” and subscription traps in the digital economy, alongside the sale of unsafe consumer goods online.
Given sustained cost-of-living pressures, the ACCC is also prioritizing accurate pricing information in supermarkets and retail, as well as addressing complex pricing structures in energy and telecommunications. Furthermore, the agency will step up its focus on motor vehicle consumer guarantees and oversee the implementation of major government reforms, including the new merger regime and unfair trading practices laws.
Key Pillars of the ACCC 2026-27 Enforcement Strategy
Digital Trust & Manipulation: Targeting “dark patterns,” subscription traps, and the rise of dangerous goods available via digital marketplaces.
Essential Services Competition: Addressing misleading pricing and complex contract structures in the telecommunications, electricity, and gas sectors.
Retail & Supermarket Pricing: Ensuring that discount claims and price information in the supermarket sector are accurate and transparent.
Consumer Guarantee Compliance: Prioritizing motor vehicle rights to ensure businesses meet their basic legal obligations for high-value purchases.
Regulatory Reform Oversight: Educating and enforcing new laws regarding mergers, unfair trading practices, and excessive pricing.
What are “Dark Patterns” in the Digital Economy? Dark patterns (or manipulative conduct) refer to user interface designs on websites and apps that are intentionally crafted to trick or manipulate consumers into making choices they otherwise wouldn’t. This includes “subscription traps,” where it is easy to sign up but nearly impossible to cancel, or hidden fees that only appear at the final stage of a purchase. These practices undermine consumer trust and choice. The ACCC’s priority for 2026-27 is to identify and prosecute businesses that use these deceptive designs, ensuring that the digital marketplace remains fair, transparent, and competitive.
Policy Relevance
The ACCC’s priorities represent a transition from “Traditional Consumer Protection” to “Algorithmic & Behavioral Oversight,” reflecting a global trend in regulating the digital economy.
Standardizing “Dark Pattern” Regulation: The ACCC’s focus acts as a “Standard Maker” move, providing a template for Indian regulators like the CCPA (Central Consumer Protection Authority) to define and penalize manipulative digital conduct.
Bypassing Misleading “Green” & Discount Claims: Aligning with the ACCC’s supermarket priorities can help the Ministry of Consumer Affairs strengthen its guidelines against “greenwashing” and deceptive festive-season discounts.
Operationalizing Essential Service Transparency: The ACCC’s focus on complex energy/telecom pricing supports the need for the RBI’s “Quality Financial Products” framework to simplify contract disclosures for vulnerable users.
Global Merger Alignment: The ACCC’s oversight of the new merger regime provides a comparative benchmark for the Competition Commission of India (CCI) as it updates its own thresholds for digital-era acquisitions.
Implementation Fidelity via Reform Education: Using the ACCC’s “education-first” approach for new reforms can help Indian agencies ensure that the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act is effectively implemented across the SME sector.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How should the CCPA utilize the ACCC’s "manipulative conduct" framework to establish a dedicated 'Subscription Trap Monitoring Cell' that audits Indian OTT and e-commerce platforms for 'easy-in, hard-out' cancellation policies?
Follow the full news here: ACCC: 2026-27 Compliance and Enforcement Priorities - February 19, 2026