The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
McAfee's renewal screen said 'Accept Risk' to decline — India fined it ₹1 lakh
The only way past McAfee's renewal prompt was a button labelled 'Accept Risk'. CCPA fined McAfee India ₹1 lakh for confirm shaming and interface tricks.
McAfee Software India · 2026-05-20
What happened
McAfee Software India's renewal flow steered users towards paying for another subscription. To decline, a user had to click a button labelled 'Accept Risk' — implying that walking away would leave the device exposed — while the 'Renew Now' option was given greater visual prominence.
On 20 May 2026 the CCPA classified these as dark patterns: confirm shaming in the fear-based label, interface interference in the visual prominence, a trick question in the emotionally loaded wording, and forced action because no clearly visible, neutral opt-out was offered. It imposed a penalty of ₹1 lakh.
The direction: McAfee must ensure dark patterns are not employed on its platform, website, app or any other digital interface. Subscription decisions, the CCPA said, must be free of fear-based messaging, and consent must come through clear, affirmative action.
Why it happened
- 'Accept Risk' is not a decline — it is a threat: a refusal button that warns users they will be hurt for refusing is shaming, not choice.
- Visual prominence did the steering: a large 'Renew Now' beside a scary opt-out nudged by fear and layout, not by information.
- No neutral opt-out turned the renewal into a forced action: every exit route carried a cost, so the interface decided for the user.
The lesson
The exit button must be neutral: calling refusal 'Accept Risk' is confirm shaming, and the CCPA will fine it. Present renewals as information, not as threats.
Aftermath
McAfee was directed to keep dark patterns off its platform, website, app and any other digital interface. The penalty was announced in the same June 2026 CCPA wave as the ₹5 lakh order against edtech firm PhysicsWallah for pre-selected donation prompts.
Sources
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
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