Collective Consent: Who Needs to Consent to the Donation of Data Representing Multiple People?

Data donation is a growing form of personal data collection that foregrounds consent and conscious participation of the data donor. There remains little guidance on who must consent to data donation, particularly when the data represents multiple people. We provide empirical perspectives on this question through in-situ observation and interviews (N=18) with online daters who chose to donate messaging interactions with potential sexual partners for sexual violence research. Findings elucidate two diverging perspectives. Participants advocating for “unilateral consent” argued that consent of their messaging partner is not necessary, in part, because the anticipated benefit of data donation superceded consent. Participants advocating for “collective consent” wanted both messaging partners to consent to its donation, citing concerns for privacy of, and personal relationships with, the other person. Findings suggest that collective consent interfaces should be incorporated in data donation platforms, even if not strictly required by legal regulation, to increase donation of multi-person data.