Call for Chapters | Book on The Architecture of Deception: Consumers, Dark Patterns and the Limits of Consent by NLU, Ranchi: Submit by Oct 30

About National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi

The National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi, is an institution dedicated to legal education, established by the Government of Jharkhand under the National University of Study and Research in Law, Ranchi Act, 2010. The University offers B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), LL.M., Ph.D. in Law, and postgraduate diploma programmes.

The Chair on Consumer Research and Policy (CCRP) was established at 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 also functions as a think tank for research and policy-related issues concerning consumer affairs.

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About the Book

Every digital interface makes a quiet argument about what the user should want. Dark patterns do not announce themselves as coercion; they arrive dressed as convenience, urgency, or care.

This edited volume takes as its premise that dark patterns are not a marginal design quirk but a structural challenge to consumer law’s oldest assumption — that a transaction reflects a free and informed choice.

It invites academicians, practitioners, policy experts, and law students to examine dark patterns not merely as a UX problem for designers to fix, but as a question for regulators, courts, and legislators: how does consumer law recognise harm that leaves no bruise, extract remedies for consent that was never quite free, and hold accountable a wrong that is coded rather than spoken? Original and unpublished contributions are invited that interrogate these questions critically and propose what an honest digital marketplace might require.

Eligibility

Submissions are invited from:

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1. Academicians and faculty members
2. Legal practitioners and policy professionals
3. Research scholars and doctoral candidates
4. 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.

Themes and Sub-Themes

The Call for Chapters covers the following themes:

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 also propose other topics, provided that they reasonably fall within the ambit of the themes and sub-themes.

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Submission Categories and Word Limits

1. Articles: 5,000–6,000 words
2. Short Articles: 2,500–4,000 words
3. Legislative Comments: 1,500–2,500 words
4. Book Reviews: 1,000–2,500 words

The word limits are inclusive of footnotes.

Submission Guidelines

1. Submissions must be original and unpublished and should not be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
2. Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc/.docx).
3. Font: Times New Roman
4. Font Size: 12 pt for main text; 10 pt for footnotes; 16/14 pt for headings/sub-headings
5. Line Spacing: 1.5 for main text; single spacing for footnotes
6. Alignment: Justified
7. Citation Style: Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation (21st Edition)
8. A separate cover page containing the author(s)’ name, institutional affiliation/designation, and contact email and phone number must be submitted.
9. The cover page must be submitted separately and should not form part of the main manuscript.
10. A maximum of two authors per submission is permitted.
11. All submissions will undergo a blind peer review process. Please ensure nothing in the manuscript symbolises any representation of name or institutional affiliation.

Plagiarism and Use of AI

All submissions must be original and free from plagiarism. The use of generative AI tools for drafting substantive portions of the manuscript is discouraged. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of their work.

Publication Details

Selected papers will be published as chapters in an accredited book bearing an ISBN. Submission and publication are entirely free of cost. Each author will receive one complimentary copy of the published volume.

Important Dates

1. Release of Call for Chapters: 27th September 2026
2. Last Date for Paper Submission: 30th October 2026
3. First Phase of Acceptance of Chapter: 10th November 2026
4. Editorial Feedback Communication: 12th November 2026
5. Release of Book Name: 14th November 2026
6. Final Acceptance: 20th November 2026
7. Publication: November–December 2026

The above-mentioned dates are tentative and may be subject to change at the discretion of the organising body.

Submission Procedure

Click Here To Submit.

Manuscripts are to be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc/.docx) through the following submission form.

Contact Info

Aditi Vivek Singh, Student Editor-in-Chief, CCRP, NUSRL 8957370313

For queries, please contact: [email protected]