(Credit: California Privacy Protection Agency)
Reclaiming your digital privacy is getting easier in California. The state has launched a free tool that simplifies the opt-out process, and requires over 500 registered data brokers to wipe your personal records from their databases.
The Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), which launched on Thursday, "is the first of its kind," says the California Privacy Protect Agency. "It allows consumers to request the deletion of their data from over 500 data brokers—all in one request."
(Credit: DROP)The tool tackles the legal data broker business, where companies collect publicly available information about people (though sometimes it's more sensitive), and sell it to third parties, including people-finding sites and background check services.
The data brokers usually offer an opt-out for consumers. The problem is that to thoroughly protect your privacy, you’ll need to manually contact dozens or even hundreds of data brokers and complete their opt-out forms, a huge hassle for users.
In 2023, California passed the Delete Act, which required the state to create an easy-to-use tool by Jan. 1, 2026, to streamline the deletion process “through a single verifiable consumer request.”
“After years of planning and development, it is finally ready to launch,” the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPC) wrote in a blog post last month. The law requires all 543 registered data brokers in the state to start fulfilling the data deletion requests by Aug. 1.
There are a number of data-removal services that will wipe your data for you, for a fee.
The tool arrives on top of several paid services that can also help you scrub your personal information from the internet, but for a fee. The CPPC hopes the new site will help users fight spam and robocalls while preventing potential identity theft and fraud.
However, the DROP site is currently facing a technical issue. Using the site requires you to submit a phone number or email address to receive an authentication code. But as of Friday, the site posts a “504” error when it tries to send authentication codes.
"We are actively working on the issue," the CPPC tells us, so a fix should be inbound. UPDATE: CPPC says the authentication code problem has now been fixed.
The DROP site also requires you to provide your name, physical address, and birth date to confirm your California residency. This same information must be submitted to the registered data brokers to initiate the deletion process. Still, the DROP site says: “The California Identity Gateway only asks for the information needed to verify your identity and program eligibility. We don't store your information.” (You can also register for access through the federal Login.gov if they have an account there.)
The other downside is that DROP only works for California residents. The state’s privacy protection agency notes that only three other states—Oregon, Texas, and Vermont—require data brokers to register. It’s why privacy advocates have been urging Congress to pass a federal law to rein in data brokers with stronger controls nationwide.