GDPR regulation to hide reference application page

Summary

How have you hidden sections/page of an application for GDPR?

Content

We are using one career section for all of our jobs in all countries.  Thus we have US and Germany jobs posted in the same careers section which then uses one application flow = same application sections/blocks for all countries.  We are being told by GDPR that we shouldn't be asking for references from all applicants when they first apply for the GDPR compliance (ok to ask further down the line as a finalist).  I opened an SR and they confirmed that they couldn't find a way to contextualize an application block/page.  Any ideas on how to hide a page/section