A short notification appears when opening an app.
Most users tap “Got it” without reading.
Life goes on.
And yet, in that moment, something fundamental happens.
Recently, TikTok informed EU users that personal data may continue to be accessed remotely from China, following a decision by the Irish Data Protection Commission that is currently suspended by a court appeal. Legally complex, procedurally correct — and socially almost invisible.
This is precisely the problem.
The Illusion of Choice
From a formal perspective, everything looks fine.
Users are informed.
Terms exist.
Consent is requested.
But consent that relies on fatigue, habituation, or algorithmic pressure is not meaningful consent. It is compliance engineered by design.
Digital platforms operate at a scale and speed that human cognition simply cannot match. Notifications are frequent, language is opaque, and refusal often comes at the cost of functionality or social exclusion. Over time, users learn not to decide — but to endure.
That i…
