# CON-BOX-UNCHECKED — The consent control must be unchecked by default

> The opt-in control must not be pre-selected; consent must be a deliberate act.

- **Rule ID:** CON-BOX-UNCHECKED
- **Layer:** Consent flow (`CONSENT_FLOW`)
- **Checks:** `consent surface`
- **Severity:** BLOCKING — Breaking this rule gets the submission rejected outright.
- **When it bites:** Gates approval — get this wrong and registration is refused
- **How it is detected:** AI vision over a consent artifact (screenshot, scan, MMS media)
- **Fix type:** Fix the website — no form edit clears it
- **Required by:** CTIA, FCC, TCR, Twilio, AWS
- **Applies:** Applies when consent was collected by web form, checkout, account settings, third party and point of sale.
- **Canonical URL:** https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/consent-flow/con-box-unchecked/

## Why this rule exists

A pre-ticked box collects consent from everyone who did not notice it, which is the definition of consent that was not affirmatively given. It is one of the few defects a reviewer can confirm from a single screenshot, so it is caught reliably and rejected without discussion.

## How to fix it

Render the checkbox unchecked on first paint. Check your form builder's default — Shopify, Klaviyo and most form plugins ship marketing consent pre-enabled, so this is usually a settings toggle rather than a code change.

## Common mistakes

- Capturing the screenshot after you clicked the box proves nothing — take it on a fresh page load.

## Provider rejection codes

| Provider | Code | Resubmission allowed |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Twilio (gen2) | `30925` | yes |