Easy Consent Withdrawal: Why It’s Non-Negotiable Under India’s DPDP Act

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Consent is no longer just a checkbox it’s a right. Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDPA) and its enforcement-ready Rules, 2025, every Indian user must have the ability to withdraw consent as easily as they gave it.

This isn't a feature; it’s the law. Whether you run a fintech platform, e-commerce store, edtech site, or social media app, ensuring that users can reverse consent at any point is central to DPDP compliance and user trust.

What the DPDP Act and Rules Mandate

According to Rule 8(2)(d) of the DPDP Rules, every Data Fiduciary must provide an accessible mechanism for users to withdraw consent, using the same method through which it was originally obtained. There should be no penalties, no discrimination, and no additional friction in the process.

For instance, if a user grants cookie tracking consent via a web banner, they should be able to withdraw it via the same interface clearly, immediately, and without needing to contact customer support or send an email.

Why Businesses Can’t Ignore It

Many Indian websites and apps still require users to email support teams or navigate multiple settings pages just to opt out. This violates both the letter and the spirit of the DPDP Act. Continuing to process personal data after a user has withdrawn consent is a high-risk violation that may lead to regulatory action under Section 33.

The Data Protection Board of India is empowered to investigate, issue show-cause notices, and impose fines of up to ₹250 crore for breaches including failure to honour consent withdrawals.

What a DPDP-Compliant Consent Withdrawal Flow Looks Like

To stay compliant and fair, a consent withdrawal system should be clearly visible, equally accessible as the consent-giving interface, and result in immediate revocation of all future processing for the relevant purpose.

This means users should see an option such as “Manage Consent” or “Withdraw Consent” within the same banner or dashboard where they gave it. Once triggered, the backend must stop all data flows, update consent logs, and, if necessary, notify the user with a confirmation.

A proper log should capture when the consent was revoked, by whom, through what method, and for which data processing purpose. These logs help demonstrate accountability during audits or investigations.

Common Mistakes That Risk Penalties

Many businesses in India are still unaware that making consent withdrawal difficult is itself a compliance violation. Examples include hiding withdrawal options in footers, forcing users to contact support, or degrading the product experience after withdrawal. None of these are acceptable under DPDP.

Even worse, some systems continue processing data after consent is withdrawn either due to outdated data pipes or missing logics in their backend. This is considered a serious offence.

Best Practices to Simplify Consent Withdrawal

To maintain compliance and user trust, businesses should implement:

• A persistent floating consent manager icon or easily accessible settings dashboard

• Unified interfaces where users can manage all their consent preferences

• Real-time backend triggers that halt data usage instantly upon withdrawal

• Front-end confirmations that acknowledge the user's action

• Backend logs that store all events for regulatory traceability

The Risk of Not Getting It Right

Consent withdrawal is not just about interface design it’s a legal safeguard. Failing to provide an accessible mechanism violates Rule 8. Ignoring a withdrawal request breaches Section 33(g). Not stopping processing immediately can be penalised under Section 33(h). Each of these can attract penalties in the range of ₹200–₹250 crore depending on severity and recurrence.

The Right to Withdraw is the Right to Privacy

In a post-DPDP world, user empowerment is the gold standard for privacy. Building easy, verifiable consent withdrawal into your product shows respect, transparency, and legal foresight. The ability to say “no” should always be just a click away.

For businesses looking to stay on the right side of compliance without the complexity of building custom tools, consent management platforms like Blutic can help implement instant consent withdrawal, real-time logs, and DPDP-aligned user controls all out of the box.

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