18th Annual BCLT Privacy Lecture: Blanket Opt-Outs
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Suppose that a consumer has the legal right to opt out of receiving certain communications, being tracked across the Internet by advertisers, or having their personal data transferred from one company to another.
Should consumers be able to opt out once—and have that choice honored across all companies—or must they repeat the process endlessly, playing “opt-out Whac-a-Mole”?
This lecture explores how the law inconsistently treats blanket opt-outs across privacy, arbitration, and AI training contexts. We’ll examine when blanket opt-outs work, why they fail elsewhere, and where legal reforms or private-sector solutions may offer a path forward.
Speaker
Lior Jacob Strahilevitz, Sidley Austin Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School
Commentators
Paul Schwartz, Jefferson E. Peyser Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law and BCLT Co-Director
Lindsey Tonsager, Partner, Covington & Burling
Jennifer Urban, Professor, UC Berkeley School of Law, BCLT Co-Director, and Chair of the California Privacy Protection Agency
Disclaimer: All views or opinions expressed by any presenter during the course of this CLE is that of the presenter alone and not an opinion of the Oklahoma Bar Association, the employers, or affiliates of the presenters unless specifically stated. Additionally, any materials, including the legal research, are the product of the individual contributor, not the Oklahoma Bar Association. The Oklahoma Bar Association makes no warranty, express or implied, relating to the accuracy or content of these materials.