Broad consent – the act of gaining one consent for multiple potential future research projects – sits at the core of much current genomic research practice. Since the 25th May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has applied as valid law concerning genomic research in the EU and now occupies a dominant position in the legal landscape. Yet, the position of the GDPR concerning broad consent has recently been cause for concern in the genomic research community. Whilst the text of the GDPR apparently supports the practice, recent jurisprudence contains language which is decidedly less positive. This article takes an in-depth look at the situation concerning broad consent under the GDPR and – despite the understandable concern flowing from recent jurisprudence – offers a positive outlook. This positive outlook is argued from three perspectives, each of which is significant in defining the current, and ongoing, legitimacy and utility of broad consent under the GDPR: the principled, the legal technical, and the practical.

广泛同意——为多个潜在的未来研究项目获得一份同意的行为——是当前许多基因组研究实践的核心。自 2018 年 5 月 25 日起，《通用数据保护条例》(GDPR) 作为有关基因组研究的有效法律在欧盟适用，现在在法律领域占据主导地位。然而，GDPR 关于广泛同意的立场最近引起了基因组研究界的关注。虽然 GDPR 的文本显然支持这种做法，但最近的判例包含明显不太积极的语言。本文深入研究了 GDPR 下关于广泛同意的情况，尽管最近的判例产生了可以理解的担忧，但提供了积极的前景。