Improving Consent in Information Privacy Through Autonomy-Preserving Protective Measures (APPMs)

European Data Protection Law Review, Volume 4, Issue 4 (2018) pp. 447 - 458

16 Pages Posted: 5 Apr 2019

See all articles by Luiza Jarovsky

Luiza Jarovsky

Tel Aviv University, Buchmann Faculty of Law

Date Written: September 2018

Abstract

In this article, I argue that due to numerous shortcomings, current online consent mechanisms do not allow data subjects to think, decide and choose according to their internal beliefs, therefore impairing essential individual freedoms – or capabilities, following Martha Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach. I identify the main shortcomings of consent in privacy as issues of cognitive limitations, information overload, information insufficiency, lack of intervenability and lack of free choice, describing the type of imbalance present in each category. Then, based on current privacy theories and focusing on the concepts of autonomy and protection – and how they can be combined and manifested in policymaking - I propose the MAPP (Methodology for Autonomy-Preserving Protection), a methodology to evaluate (old) or design (new) measures to improve consent and reinstall the freedoms of thought, decision and choice in this context. According to the MAPP, if an entity A wants to generate positive welfare to an individual B, then: 1) the intentions or goals of A must be transparent, known to B and open to legal questioning and criticism; 2) the actions of A must be transparent, non-manipulative, known to B and open to legal questioning and criticism; and 3) the actions of A must not interfere in the decision-making capacities of B, preserving her autonomy. Lastly, applying the methodology, I present a non-exhaustive list of Autonomy-Preserving Protective Measures (APPMs), showing how they can enable the three freedoms highlighted in the present work and support more effective consent mechanisms.

Keywords: Data Protection, Data Privacy, Privacy, Consent, Information Privacy, GDPR, General Data Protection Regulation, Autonomy

Suggested Citation

Jarovsky, Luiza, Improving Consent in Information Privacy Through Autonomy-Preserving Protective Measures (APPMs) (September 2018). European Data Protection Law Review, Volume 4, Issue 4 (2018) pp. 447 - 458, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3350052

Luiza Jarovsky (Contact Author)

Tel Aviv University, Buchmann Faculty of Law

Ramat Aviv
Tel Aviv, 69978
Israel

HOME PAGE: http://luizajarovsky.com

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