Suostusin

Suostusin is a term that appears in discussions about digital consent and privacy governance. It is not a widely established technical standard, but rather a concept used in academic, policy, and industry debates about how to obtain, document, and enforce user consent in digital services.

The concept draws on the Finnish root suostua, meaning to consent, and has been used as a shorthand for a consent-centric framework. Proponents describe suostusin as a model that emphasizes clarity in consent requests, revocation rights, context-aware prompts, and machine-readable consent records. They argue that such an approach could help align technical systems with legal obligations under data protection laws by providing auditable trails and user-centered controls.

Core features attributed to a suostusin-inspired approach include explicit opt-in mechanisms, granular or layered consent options, easy revocation, and prompts that adapt to the data-use context (for example, different permissions for specific purposes or time windows). Interoperability and accountability are often highlighted, with suggestions to employ standards and practices from privacy-by-design, consent banners, and verifiable credentials to support implementation.

Critics note potential drawbacks, such as user fatigue from frequent prompts, increased system complexity, and interoperability challenges across platforms. As of now, suostusin remains a term in scholarly and policy discussions rather than a formal standard or widely deployed solution.