Consent: A Key Legal Basis for Processing Personal Data

One of the biggest myths in data privacy compliance is the belief that asking for user consent will always lead to drop offs and hurt growth.

With India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDPA, 2023) making consent central to processing personal data, many organizations are worried about “consent fatigue” and user abandonment. But the reality is different. Consent, when designed well, becomes simple, transparent and user friendly.

Below are the core principles that shape meaningful consent under DPDPA.

Clear and Concise

• Consent starts with clarity. Notices must be simple, itemised and purpose specific. No jargon. No hidden agendas.

• State exactly what data you collect, why you collect it, how users can withdraw consent and how they can exercise their rights.

• If a twelve year old cannot understand the consent notice, it needs rewriting.

Easy Withdrawal

• Withdrawal should be as effortless as giving consent. Same channel, same ease, zero obstacles.

• One tap to opt in means one tap to opt out. Once withdrawn, organisations must quickly stop processing and ensure processors do the same.

• Dark patterns, delays or friction are not just bad user experience, they are non compliance.

Verifiable Parental Consent

• Processing children’s data requires verifiable parental consent. There are no shortcuts here.

• Organisations must validate the parent or guardian's identity, avoid tracking or profiling children and ensure the processing does not harm the child’s well being.

• DPDPA draws a hard line here: treat minors data with heightened care, transparency and safety by design.

Under DPDPA, Consent Must Be:

• Free, specific, informed and unconditional

• Given through clear affirmative action

• As easy to withdraw as to give

  
  

As organisations prepare for India’s evolving privacy landscape, consent becomes more than a checkbox. It becomes a marker of respect, clarity and user empowerment. When notices are simple, withdrawal is effortless and parental consent is verifiable, compliance stops feeling like a burden and starts functioning as good product design.

DPDPA pushes organisations toward a culture of transparency and accountability, where trust is earned through every interaction and every data decision. The sooner teams understand and operationalise these principles, the smoother the transition will be.

If you want a practical and structured roadmap to implement these consent requirements with confidence, check out our DPDPA Playbook.

It breaks down the law into clear steps, ready to use templates and action oriented guidance that helps your organisation move from awareness to execution.