California residents can request brokers delete personal data using new tool

California is offering residents a new tool that will make it easier to limit the storage and sale of personal information by data brokers.

Since 2020, state residents have had the right to ask companies to stop collecting and selling their data, but doing so required a cumbersome opt-out process with individual companies. The Deletion Act passed in 2023 was supposed to simplify things, allowing residents to make one request to more than 500 registered data brokers to delete their information.

Now, the Removal Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP) allows residents to actually make that request. Once a DROP user has verified that they are a California resident, they can submit a deletion request that will be sent to all current and future data brokers registered with the state.

However, not all data will be deleted immediately. Brokers are supposed to start processing requests in August 2026, and then have 90 days to actually process and report the requests. If you do not want to delete your data, you have the option to submit additional information to help us locate your records.

Companies will also be able to store their own data collected from users. The only people who need to delete your data (which includes social security numbers, browsing history, email addresses, phone numbers, etc.) are the brokers who are buying or selling that data.

Some information, such as vehicle registrations and voter records, is not eligible for deletion because it comes from public documents. Other information, such as confidential medical information, may be covered by other laws, such as HIPAA.

The California Privacy Protection Agency says the tool not only gives residents more control over their data, but could also reduce “unwanted texts, calls, and emails” and reduce “the risk of identity theft, fraud, AI-powered impersonation, or data breaches or hacks.”

The agency said the fine for data brokers failing to register or delete requested consumer data is $200 per day plus enforcement costs.