A consent ledger stores the basis for contacting each person (enquiry, explicit consent, existing customer), the proof, expiry and withdrawal, so every message can be justified.
Example
One buyer’s record
A buyer’s ledger in a Pune brokerage shows: 3 Nov, portal enquiry (TRAI enquiry window until 10 Nov); 4 Nov, WhatsApp opt-in by tapping “Yes” on the first message, notice version 2; 20 Dec, replied STOP on SMS — consent withdrawn on all channels. Any message after 20 Dec would need a fresh, recorded consent.
Figures are illustrative, not market rates.
Questions about Consent ledger
Why keep a consent ledger?
Because both TRAI’s rules and the DPDP Act put the burden on the business to show it had a valid basis to contact someone. A ledger with dates, notices and proof answers a complaint quickly; scattered screenshots and spreadsheets do not.
What should a consent record contain?
Who consented, to what purpose and channel, when, on which version of the notice, how (form, message, call), the evidence, any expiry, and the date and channel of withdrawal. Keeping the notice version shows exactly what the person agreed to.
Does withdrawing consent on one channel stop all channels?
It should, where the consent covered the same purpose. Under the DPDP Act withdrawal must be as easy as giving consent. Treating a STOP on SMS as covering WhatsApp and calls too avoids accidentally contacting someone who has said no.
Sources
See also
Reviewed