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In a major step toward protecting students and their families, the Indian government has issued new guidelines aimed at curbing misleading advertisements by coaching centres. The Centre's crackdown addresses exaggerated claims like “100% selection” or “guaranteed job security” — promises that often lead to disappointment among students who invest time and money expecting a near-certain outcome. <h2>Protecting consumers, not shutting down coaching</h2>On Wednesday, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) rolled out these guidelines in response to numerous complaints from the National Consumer Helpline. According to <keyword id="20003684" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="consumer-affairs" source="keywords">Consumer Affairs</keyword> Secretary Nidhi Khare, the government’s goal is not to shut down coaching centres but to ensure their ads don’t “undermine consumer rights.” “We have seen coaching centres deliberately concealing information from prospective students,” Khare said. “Therefore, we have come out with the guidelines to provide guidance to people involved in the coaching industry.” So far, the CCPA has issued 54 notices to violators and imposed penalties of around Rs 54.60 lakh. <h2>What’s prohibited?</h2>The guidelines lay out strict boundaries on what coaching centres can — and cannot — say in their ads. Here’s what the guidelines address: <ul><li>False Claims: Ads should not make unsubstantiated promises about “100% selection” or “100% job security.”</li><li>Course Details: No exaggerating or omitting information about courses, their duration, or outcomes.</li><li>Faculty Credentials: Qualifications of teachers must be presented accurately, with no fake credentials.</li><li>Fees and Refunds: All fees and refund policies must be transparent.</li><li>Selection Rates and Ranks: Coaching centres cannot claim high selection rates or exam rankings without proof.</li></ul>Additionally, they are not allowed to use successful candidates’ names, photos, or testimonials in ads without written consent from these individuals. Khare advised students to double-check the information provided by coaching centres. “Many UPSC students clear prelims and mains on their own and take only interview guidance from coaching centres,” she explained, encouraging students to verify the course details actually taken by successful candidates. The guidelines go beyond the broad term “coaching.” They define coaching as academic support, education, guidance, study programs, and tuition — but they exclude counselling, sports, and creative activities. The purpose of this definition is to keep the focus on academic and career-oriented programs, which are most prone to misleading ads. <h2>Full disclosure and consequences for violators</h2>Transparency is now mandatory, as coaching centres must display disclaimers and reveal essential course details. Facilities, infrastructure, and resources must be represented accurately, along with any required approvals or recognitions from authorities like AICTE or UGC. Khare, who also serves as the CCPA chief, stressed that coaching centres should accurately present the service, resources, and infrastructure provided. For instance, if they advertise “fully-equipped classrooms,” the guidelines require this to be an honest description. These guidelines come as a supplement to existing laws and are enforceable under the Consumer Protection Act. This means violators will face penalties, potentially similar to the Rs 54.60 lakh already imposed by the CCPA. The government hopes these new standards will push coaching centres to keep their ads honest, helping students and families make better-informed decisions. (With inputs from agencies)

No More False Promises: Government sets rules to prevent misleading and exaggerated coaching centre ads

<ul><li>Ola and Uber asked to showcase their algorithms related to ride cancellations and surge pricing.</li><li>Order came after CCPA received numerous complaints of unfair trading practices.</li><li>According to a survey by LocalCircles, 71% of customers continue to face ride cancellation issues.</li></ul>As thousands of commuters find themselves at the mercy of Uber and Ola drivers via ride cancellations, cancellation charges, random surge pricing and long waiting times, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) was set to grill cab aggregators over their algorithms on Tuesday. The regulator, under its Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare, was set to ask cab-hailing platforms to showcase their algorithms related to ride cancellations and surge pricing, along with questioning them over other issues. The CCPA has received numerous complaints of unfair trading practices, such as cab drivers forcing riders to cancel trips that result in the customers paying the cancellation charge. The authority is of the view that old customers are being charged exorbitant rates while new riders are being wooed by low fares for the same distance. Despite the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020, 71 per cent customers say that ride cancellation issues by drivers continue, according to a survey by community-based social media platform LocalCircles last month. Over 45 per cent of app-based taxi consumers stated they were charged more than 1.5 times in surge pricing despite the threshold being set by the Motor Vehicle Aggregator Guidelines 2020. The extortionist practices of some drivers to undertake private trips were reported by consumers as a major concern, the report said. As thousands of Indian riders continue to suffer from paying cancellation fees sans their faults, the ride-hailing major in Australia admitted that it made false or misleading statements in cancellation warning messages and taxi fare estimates, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Uber now faces $26 million (Australian dollars) in penalties for adopting those illegal practices. More than two million Australian consumers were shown the misleading cancellation warning. Envisioned to lessen the travel woes, cab-hailing platforms like Uber and Ola have come a long distance in India, but riders are increasingly facing more issues. Most of the time, Uber and Ola drivers ask the riders to reveal what fare the Uber app is showing, and then decide if they want to take the ride or not depending on the amount and if it is in cash, forcing the riders to cancel the ride. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/10-things-in-tech-its-about-to-get-ugly/articleshow/91440115.cms">10 Things in Tech: It's about to get ugly</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meditation-app-calm-launched-a-contest-to-find-tiktoks-smoothest-voice-the-winner-will-be-paid-5000-to-narrate-a-story/articleshow/91441165.cms">Meditation app Calm launched a contest to find TikTok's 'smoothest voice' – the winner will be paid $5,000 to narrate a story</a>

Indian regulator to grill Ola and Uber over rising customer complaints

The Defence Research &amp; Development Organisation (<keyword id="6355142" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="drdo" source="Orion">DRDO</keyword>) that was tasked with investigating into EV fire incidents by the <keyword id="2518729" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="union-road-transport" source="Orion">Union Road Transport</keyword> and Highways <keyword id="48413" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ministry" source="Orion">Ministry</keyword>, has found serious defects in the batteries, including designs of the battery packs and modules. According to sources in the know of the matter, these defects occur because the electric two-wheeler manufacturers like <keyword id="6077703" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="okinawa-autotech" source="Orion">Okinawa Autotech</keyword>, Pure EV, Jitendra Electric Vehicles, <keyword id="4393078" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="ola-electric" source="Orion">Ola Electric</keyword> and <keyword id="12512499" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="boom-motors" source="Orion">Boom Motors</keyword> may have used "lower-grade materials to cut costs". The Centre for Fire, Explosive and Environment Safety (CFEES) at the DRDO has submitted its fact-finding report to the Ministry, as first reported by Business Standard. According to the sources, the ministry has now summoned representatives of these EV manufacturers, asking them to submit an explanation on the DRDO report findings. Earlier this month, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which comes under the <keyword id="2876140" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="union-consumer-affairs-ministry" source="Orion">Union Consumer Affairs Ministry</keyword>, sent notices to Pure EV and Boom Motors after their e-scooters exploded in April. The consumer watchdog is also examining more cases of e-scooter fires and will serve similar notices to other EV makers too. Pure EV and Boom Motors along with Ola Electric, Jitendra EV, and Okinawa Autotech, recalled faulty batches after the EV fire incidents were reported. The preliminary findings from the government-constituted probe committee on EV fires have already identified issues with battery cells or design in nearly all of the electric two-wheeler fire incidents in the country. The committee was constituted in the wake of EV fires and battery blasts in e-scooters. The experts found defects in battery cells as well as battery design in nearly all EV fires. The government is now working on new quality-centric guidelines for EVs that will be unveiled soon. At least 12 electric two-wheelers have exploded till now and several EV makers have recalled the faulty batches amid the growing pressure from the government. Update: Ola Electric has issued a statement saying it has not received any communication from the government in this matter. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/how-cyrus-poonawalla-became-one-of-the-worlds-richest-billionaires/articleshow/91763784.cms">The success story of Cyrus Poonawalla: The vaccine king who is one of the world’s richest billionaires</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/instagram-rolls-out-a-new-logo-typography-and-more-in-visual-refresh/articleshow/91761902.cms">Instagram rolls out a new logo, typography and more in visual refresh</a>

DRDO examines EV fire incidents, finds serious battery defects

<ul><li>The Indian government has warned cab aggregators over rising consumer complaints.</li><li>The government is expected to issue guidelines to remove unfair trade practices.</li><li>The government has also asked aggregators to reveal their algorithm and policies for determining price and cancellation charges.</li></ul>The government has come down heavily on cab aggregators like <keyword id="1042120" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="uber" source="Orion">Uber</keyword> and <keyword id="6354720" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ola" source="Orion">Ola</keyword> amid increasing consumer complaints over “unfair trade practices” such as surge pricing, ride cancellation, drivers refusing to turn on the air conditioner and more. According to a <a href="https://zeenews.india.com/auto/indian-govt-directs-ola-uber-to-improve-cab-quality-services-stop-unfair-trade-practice-2462130.html">report</a>, the consumer affairs ministry held a meeting with companies such as Uber, Ola, Rapido, Meru Cabs and Jugnoo and warned the companies of strict action. The main issues under discussion included the surge pricing, frequent cancellation of rides by drivers over trivial issues such as the destination and payment mode, refusal to turn on air conditioners in cabs, different pricing for different users and more. Cab aggregators have announced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/uber-announces-a-price-hike-of-12-for-cab-rides-in-delhi/articleshow/90793725.cms">price hikes</a> in several cities across the country. One of the reasons announced for the price hike was the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/petrol-and-diesel-prices-hiked-for-the-13th-time-in-15-days/articleshow/90655551.cms">increasing</a> cost of petrol and diesel in the country. Some cab drivers have also been <a href="https://telanganatoday.com/cab-drivers-in-hyderabad-to-charge-extra-for-ac-amid-rising-fuel-prices">refusing</a> to turn on the air conditioner, asking riders to pay an additional amount. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Govt warns about strict action" comment="subhead" text="Govt warns about strict action">Govt warns about strict action</cmsannotation> “We told them (cab aggregators) about the rising consumer complaints against their platforms. We gave them the statistics also. We have asked them to improve their system and redress the consumer complaints otherwise the competent authority will take strict action,” Rohit Kumar Singh, consumer affairs secretary said after the meeting. "The authority is likely to issue an advisory to ensure that unfair trade practices by cab aggregators are not carried on in violation of consumers' rights," said Nidhi Khare, chief commissioner, Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA). "The number of complaints is very high and therefore we have called the cab aggregators for an explanation of their policies," Khare said. “We are engaged with the Department of Consumer Affairs and deeply appreciate the feedback provided by them and will continue to provide our inputs. We strive to be the platform of choice for riders and drivers alike and continue to invest in technology and customer support to deliver an excellent experience for them," Nitish Bhushan, Head of Central Operations, Uber India and South Asia said in a statement to Business Insider India "We are committed to continually raising the bar – for ourselves, our industry, and most importantly for the people who use our services," Bhushan added. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Inflated price for old customers" comment="subhead" text="Inflated price for old customers">Inflated price for old customers</cmsannotation> Another issue that has come under the government’s scanner is surge pricing and differential pricing for old and new customers. "It appears that cab aggregators are using algorithms to lure new customers, putting old customers at a disadvantage. This is an unfair practice," Khare added. As per the regulator, cab aggregators are charging a premium to their existing customers and offering discounts to lure new customers. Differential pricing for the same location has been termed as an “unfair practice” by the regulator. Khare has added that aggregators will be called upon to reveal their algorithms and policies that are used to determine prices, cancellation charges and surge prices. The aggregators have also been asked to reveal the steps taken by them to safeguard customer’s personal data on their platforms. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/ubers-ceo-said-hiring-will-be-treated-as-a-privilege-and-inefficient-incentives-will-be-cut/articleshow/91439331.cms">Uber's CEO said hiring will be treated as a 'privilege' and inefficient incentives will be cut</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/how-a-group-of-youtubers-pranked-a-scam-call-centre-in-india-that-earns-18-million-per-year/articleshow/91463331.cms">Here's how a group of YouTubers pranked a scam call centre in India that makes $18 million per year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/top-profitable-startups-in-india-in-2021-22-zerodha-zoho-dream-11-and-firstcry-in-the-list/slidelist/91484233.cms">Top 10 profitable startups in India – from Zerodha to Zoho and Firstcry, here’s the list</a>

Indian government accuses Ola, Uber and other aggregators of inflating cab prices for older customers

Kolkata, Apr 12 () A day after West Bengal ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjee increased the limit of the workforcein tea gardens from 15 to 25 per cent amid the nationwidelockdown, the tea industry on Sunday urged the stategovernment to gradually allow up to 50 per cent of thelabourers in the plantations.The chief minister had first allowed the deployment ofonly 15 per cent of the workforce in the tea gardens, whichshe increased to 25 per cent on Saturday.Welcoming the move, Arijit Raha, secretary general ofthe Indian Tea Association (ITA) told , "The ConsultativeCommittee on Plantation Associations (CCPA) made arepresentation to the government seeking to allow flexibilityin operations within prescribed limits. The increaseddeployment will help in plucking and ancillary activities."ITA is a constituent of the CCPA."We are hopeful that the state government willconsider the enhancement of workforce to 50 per cent," hesaid.Rudra Chatterjee, director of Luxmi Group, which ownsthe Makaibari brand, welcomed the move saying it will helpthem get a portion of the first flush."We will get the entire second flush, the season forwhich will start from May. The second flush will be protected.Makaibari had fetched the highest price in the history ofDarjeeling second flush at USD 1850 per kg," he said.Chamong Tea Chairman A Lohia said after the governmentdecided to allow more workforce in the tea gardens, the grouphas begun plucking in all of its 13 gardens in Darjeeling byfollowing guidelines laid down by the administration."The tea gardens of Darjeeling have almost lost thefirst flush due to the lockdown. The state government shouldincrease the percentage of the labour force so that moreleaves can be plucked," he said.The tea gardens of Darjeeling produce almost eightmillion kg of orthodox tea and the first flush roughlyconstitutes 20 per cent of the total yield.Tea Board Deputy Chairman Arun Kumar Ray saiddepending on the situation, the restrictions will hopefully befurther relaxed."Our first fight is against coronavirus," he said,adding that the state government has asked the authorities ofthe tea gardens to maintain social distancing and takeprecautionary measures. DCACD ACD

Amid lockdown, tea industry seeks 50 pc workforce in Bengal gardens

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">FactualRoss Webster, managing director of Europe at Factual.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>In April 2018, location data firm Factual shut down several of its European-based products because of legal concerns stemming from Europe's General Data Protection Regulation.</li><li>Factual said it cut by more than half the number of data companies it works with since then and is starting to pitch its products to European advertisers again.</li><li>Factual said it also reworked its contracts with European-based data providers to include specific guidelines about how data is collected.</li><li>The firm said it believed these steps would give it a leg up when the forthcoming California Consumer Privacy Act rolls out in January.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary">Click here for more BI Prime stories</a>.</li></ul>A year into the European Union rolling out the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, location data firm Factual is getting ready to expand in Europe.The location data firm is one of a handful of <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> and marketing tech firms that shut down part of its European business ahead of the data-collection law being enforced. GDPR requires businesses to explicitly get consumers' consent before collecting their data for ad targeting. Data firms that use location stats from smartphones have been a particular <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/location-based-ads-killed-by-confusing-tech-gdpr-shifting-consumers-2018-9">target of scrutiny</a> under the law.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/foursquare-president-david-shim-explains-2019-pitch-deck-2019-8">We got the pitch deck Foursquare is using to sell advertisers location data - even as regulation and privacy concerns mount</a>Factual <a href="https://www.adweek.com/digital/how-one-location-based-data-firm-is-preparing-for-gdpr/">scrapped its European database</a> and stopped offering advertisers its targeting, measurement and insight products. Developers and publishers send location data from apps to Factual that advertisers then use to create audience segments for targeting and measuring campaigns. The firm cut more than half of the providers it works with (which it didn't name) and is relaunching its products in Europe.To spearhead the expansion, Factual hired Ross Webster as managing director of Europe. Webster was previously EMEA head of data partnerships at IBM's Watson Advertising. The company has a small office in London with seven employees, and Ross said that by the first quarter of 2020, Factual would sell all of its products to European advertisers and operate in a handful of markets in continental Europe."There's a pent-up desire for quality location data within Europe," he said.<h2>Factual slashed its data partners</h2>The firm has also put together a GDPR compliance program for partners, including an auditing process and new terms and agreements in contracts. Before a partner supplies location data to Factual, the company's privacy team vets a partner's process of collecting data to make sure that it meets GDPR's requirements. Partners also undergo audits on an ongoing basis, though Factual did not provide further details about the timing of audits."We feel like we're in a position where we can make available these three products within Europe built off of a pool of responsibly-sourced data," said Brian Czarny, CMO of Factual. "We'll continue to add additional suppliers as we feel like there are others in the market that are ready to do that."Scale is often a challenge for marketers with location-based advertising, but Czarny said that wiping its European database to build it again from scratch puts a bigger focus on collecting high-quality data."We don't expect for the scale to reach pre-GDPR volume," he said.<h2>Factual is trying to get ahead of US privacy regulation</h2>Factual said it hoped that its work over the past year would help it prepare for the forthcoming California Consumer Privacy Act (or CCPA) that takes effect in January and which will put similar restrictions to GDPR on how marketers collect and use data.A crop of privacy-minded firms are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marketing-advertising-companies-helping-ccpa-regulation-2019-8">helping marketers comply with CCPA.</a>While CCPA and GDPR aren't identical, both require marketers to show consumers what data they collect and delete it if a consumer requests for it to be deleted."What we're doing with GDPR gives us a solid foundation to be ready for upcoming regulation like CCPA," Czarny said. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-two-hurricanes-collide-fujiwhara-effect-2017-9">Here's what happens when two hurricanes collide</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "CCPA guidelines" and got 6 results

No More False Promises: Government sets rules to prevent misleading and exaggerated coaching centre ads

BI India Bureau

Indian regulator to grill Ola and Uber over rising customer complaints

IANS

DRDO examines EV fire incidents, finds serious battery defects

IANS

Indian government accuses Ola, Uber and other aggregators of inflating cab prices for older customers

Sourabh Jain

Amid lockdown, tea industry seeks 50 pc workforce in Bengal gardens

PTI

Europe's GDPR law was supposed to kill location-based advertising. Here's how one firm claims it has reworked its business to make it work.

Lauren Johnson

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