What is the difference between consent and preference management?

Consent management and preference management are related but distinct concepts. Understanding the difference helps ensure your organization meets its legal obligations while also providing a good user experience.

Consent management

Consent management relates to the legal requirement to notify your user and, where legally necessary, collect their consent to the processing of their personal data for a specific purpose, often related to particular types of advertising or marketing activities.

Example: A user visiting your site agrees to opt-in to the use of their data for targeted advertising and to the use of their email address for email marketing.

Preference management

Preference management provides your users with the ability to make choices about the frequency or nature of the communications or service details they might receive from you.

Example: That same user selects to only receive emails on a monthly basis, or on particular topics of interest.

How they relate

Consent and preference management often go hand-in-hand. A user first consents to receive marketing communications, then customizes how often and what type of messages they receive. To learn how Fides handles consent management, see Consent Management Fundamentals.