What is consent?

Consent is the agreement to the processing (ie use) of personal data that is

• freely given
• specific (consent must be for specific purpose)
• informed (let the user know in plain english who is processing what data and why).

it must be obvious what the data subject consents to.

How to get consent?

• must be explicit, the user must take an action to give consent.
• Consent by default (ie tick this box if you don't want data processed) is not possible.
• no more opt-out's but only opt-in.

When can I use consent?

it is required (ie mandatory) in 3 area's

• sensitive data
• Automated decision-making
• Trans-border data flow.

Children:

• Age of consent may differ in different EU-states.
• Reasonable efforts must be made to identify who has parental responsibility

The original and full article is here