Q7 - How does DPDPA ensure neutrality of Consent Managers so they do not secretly favor large corporations?

Answer

• Consent Managers must be independent and neutral — they cannot favor one Data Fiduciary over another.
• They are prohibited from designing interfaces that “nudge” individuals toward accepting certain consents.
• Their neutrality is monitored through registration conditions (Schedule I) and oversight by the Data Protection Board.

Example

If a Consent Manager’s dashboard shows ABC Bank’s requests with a green “Yes” button but XYZ Bank’s with a grey “No” button, the Board can penalize it for bias.

Neutrality ensures that Consent Managers serve individuals first, not corporations.