Withdrawal of Consent

The right of data subjects to revoke previously granted consent for personal data processing, required to be as easy as giving consent under GDPR Article 7(3). When individuals withdraw consent, organizations must stop the processing activity that relied on that consent basis, though they may continue processing if another legal basis applies. Key requirements include: withdrawal must be as easy as granting consent (if consent was one click, withdrawal should be too), organizations must inform individuals about their withdrawal right before obtaining consent, withdrawal must be honored promptly, and withdrawal doesn't affect the lawfulness of processing before withdrawal. Organizations should: provide clear withdrawal mechanisms in privacy policies and preference centers, process withdrawal requests without undue delay, stop relevant processing unless another legal basis applies, maintain records of withdrawal requests and actions taken, and consider whether withdrawal should extend to related processing activities. The ease-of-withdrawal requirement means that if consent was obtained through a simple checkbox during signup, requiring multi-step account navigation or email requests for withdrawal would violate GDPR. Withdrawal rights make consent more meaningful by ensuring it remains voluntary.