Meaningful Consent in the Digital Economy

In the currently existing digital economy, the technology is allowing poor consent in data sharing transactions. The choice that users have to make using online services is hidden and binary; the data is overcaptured, with no access expiration. There is a need for a more meaningful control over data, and consent is one of the mechanisms that can be used to solve it. The research described in this report focuses on designing technology that would help users and online service providers to manage consent in the age of smart phones, smart cities, Internet of Things and wearables. If successful, the steps proposed here will lead to better understanding of the role of consent in online data sharing transactions, which shall contribute to the literature on Human-Computer Interaction. They can also help solving further, larger-scale challenges in this space, towards building a consentful digital economy, where users understand how their data is used and where they get to choose what happens to it.