"The California Privacy Protection Agency kicked off 2026 by launching a tool that state residents can use to make data brokers delete and stop selling their personal information. The system, known as the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, or DROP, has been in the works for years, mandated by a 2023 law known as the Delete Act. Under it and previous laws, data brokers must register with the state and enable consumers to tell brokers to stop tracking them and selling their information."
"Until now, those instructions had to be delivered to each data broker individually - not an easy feat, given that more than 500 brokers were registered in the state as of the end of last year. Making things even more difficult, some brokers obscured their opt-out forms from search results, as The Markup and CalMatters revealed in August. The new system delivers privacy instructions to every registered broker at once."
"DROP asks you to provide some basic information - your name, email address, phone number and ZIP code - so data brokers can find you in their systems. You can submit the form with just this information, but if you'd like a more thorough deletion, you can also provide your mobile advertising IDs from your phones, smart TVs and vehicles. Including these IDs can help brokers match more of your data, but you have to take the time to collect them."
The California Privacy Protection Agency launched the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) on Jan. 1, 2026. The platform lets California residents send deletion and opt-out requests to all registered data brokers simultaneously. The Delete Act and earlier laws require brokers to register with the state and accept consumer stop-tracking and selling requests. Previously, consumers had to contact each broker separately, a challenge given over 500 registered brokers and some brokers hiding opt-out forms from search results. DROP asks for name, email, phone and ZIP, with optional mobile advertising IDs to improve matching. Registered brokers must begin processing requests in August.
Read at Stocktonia News
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