diff --git a/synapse/handlers/message.py b/synapse/handlers/message.py

index 55787563c0..9b41c7b205 100644
--- a/synapse/handlers/message.py
+++ b/synapse/handlers/message.py
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ class EventCreationHandler(object):
 
     @defer.inlineCallbacks
     def create_event(self, requester, event_dict, token_id=None, txn_id=None,
-                     prev_events_and_hashes=None):
+                     prev_events_and_hashes=None, require_consent=True):
         """
         Given a dict from a client, create a new event.
 
@@ -276,6 +276,9 @@ class EventCreationHandler(object):
                 where *hashes* is a map from algorithm to hash.
 
                 If None, they will be requested from the database.
+
+            require_consent (bool): Whether to check if the requester has
+                consented to privacy policy.
         Raises:
             ResourceLimitError if server is blocked to some resource being
             exceeded
@@ -317,7 +320,7 @@ class EventCreationHandler(object):
                     )
 
         is_exempt = yield self._is_exempt_from_privacy_policy(builder, requester)
-        if not is_exempt:
+        if require_consent and not is_exempt:
             yield self.assert_accepted_privacy_policy(requester)
 
         if token_id is not None: