On March 2, 2017, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published its draft General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) consent guidance, and called for comments on the guidance. The consultation is open until March 31, 2017. The ICO will issue final guidance in May 2017.

The guidance is detailed, and references the various GDPR Articles and recitals and previous Article 29 Working Party opinions on which it is based. The guidance is also conservative and keen to emphasize the heightened consent requirements that the GDPR mandates (over and above the current data protection law), particularly in the UK.