Blanket Consent

Blanket consent refers to a form of user agreement where individuals allow data processing in a general manner without clear visibility into what data is collected, why it is collected, or how it will be used. Instead of being tied to specific purposes, it is applied across multiple processing activities under a single, non-granular approval.

Modern privacy frameworks require consent to be specific, informed, and purpose bound. Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, consent must clearly define the purpose of data processing and cannot be bundled across unrelated activities. Blanket consent therefore creates a structural gap between user expectation and actual data usage, making it difficult to ensure lawful and transparent processing.

In practice, gaps emerge when:

• A single consent covers multiple unrelated data processing activities
• Users are not informed of specific purposes or downstream usage
• Consent is embedded in long, generic terms without granular choice
• There is no traceability between consent and actual data processing events

To address this, organizations adopt purpose specific consent models where each data use is clearly defined, separately captured, and enforced across systems. Within Privy, this is supported through consent lifecycle management and audit trails, ensuring consent is traceable, enforceable, and aligned with actual data usage.