Stephen Downes

Arguably, consent is based at least in part on our preferences. But in some cases those preferences are not really our own. We're not talking about coercion here, but cases whether the preference really appears to be genuine, and yet is created through some indirect mechanism, such as the manipulation of information, or forcing you to pay attention to something. This article discusses the sorts of preference-creation mechanisms that can inform legitimate consent and those which don't. The author finds the difference in "the room these mechanisms leave you for the free exercise of agency." But it's a fine line, and in many ways fuzzy. Image: kleidkunst.de