On this page: Learn what the Channel and Identity consent levels mean, how they affect profiles with several email addresses, and how to choose between them.
When a recipient unsubscribes, Journey Optimizer must decide where to record the opt-out on the profile. The Consent level setting controls this choice. It is available when you configure:
- The List-Unsubscribe header in an email channel configuration.
- A one-click opt-out link in the email content.
Channel and identity channel-vs-identity
- Channel: The opt-out is recorded for the email channel on the whole profile. It applies to every email address (identity) associated with that profile, whichever address received the message.
- Identity: The opt-out is recorded only for the email address (identity) that received the message. Other email addresses on the same profile are not affected. This is the default level if nothing else is configured.
The identity is the email address the message was sent to, as stored in the profile’s identity namespace. Profiles can hold several email addresses, for example when Experience Platform identity graph links a personal and a work address to the same person.
Example consent-level-example
Alice has one profile with two email addresses: alice@personalmail.com and alice.smith@bigcorp.com. She receives a marketing email at her personal address and clicks the unsubscribe link.
Which level should I choose? choose-consent-level
- Choose Identity when profiles can carry several addresses collected over time, such as personal and work addresses, household members, or progressively collected data. An unsubscribe only silences the address that was used.
- Choose Channel when unsubscribing must mean “stop emailing this person”, whichever address is used. This suits cases where each profile realistically maps to a single working mailbox.