there’s no need to send consent request emails — provided that this basis of processing was stated in your privacy policy and that users had easy access to the notice prior to you processing their data. If this information was not available to users at the time, but one of these legal bases can currently legitimately apply to your situation, then your best bet would be to ensure that your current privacy notice meets requirements, so that you can continue to process your user data in a legally compliant way.

Here’s why sending GDPR consent emails is tricky and should be handled very carefully.

Where a processing activity is necessary for the performance of a contract.

“Is consent really the most appropriate legal basis for this processing activity?” It should be taken into account that consent may not be the best choice in the following situations:

It’s useful to remember that under GDPR regulations consent is not the ONLY reason that an organization can process user data; it is only one of the “Lawful Bases”, therefore companies can apply other lawful (within the scope of GDPR) bases for data processing activity. However, there will always be data processing activities where consent is the only or best option.

U.K. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham clearly states that consent is not the "silver bullet" for GDPR compliance. In many instances, consent will not be the most appropriate ground — for example, when the processing is based on a legal obligation or when the organization has a legitimate interest in processing personal data.

data processing limited to purposes deemed reasonable and appropriate such as commercial interests, individual interests or societal benefits with minimal privacy impact could be exempt from formal consent. The individual will always retain the right to object to the processing of any personal data at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions.