"Since its release at the beginning of January, more than 150,000 Californians have signed up for "DROP," a new tool from the state's privacy agency. The Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, as it's known in full, allows state residents to wipe away a large part of their online footprint. By signing up, Californians add their names to a list that in August will go out to data brokers; those companies will then have to begin deleting much of the information they've collected on each listed resident."
"The information data brokers hold can target ads or end up in background checks, but also, if it ends up hacked or leaked, that information can aid in more nefarious purposes. As SFGATE reported a few weeks ago, DROP should help residents become better protected from spam calls, targeted fraud and stalkers. But some of our readers had more questions about the service - how it works, how it's enforced and where it fits into California's larger goals on digital privacy."
More than 150,000 Californians signed up for DROP since January. DROP, short for Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, allows residents to remove a large portion of their online footprint by adding names to a list that will be sent to data brokers in August, requiring those brokers to delete much of the collected information. Data broker information is used for advertising and background checks and can enable fraud, spam calls, stalking, or other nefarious uses if leaked. CalPrivacy was created via Prop. 24 in 2020 to enforce privacy laws, implement the CCPA, raise awareness, build tools, and help residents exercise privacy rights. Tom Kemp, a former security and identity management CEO, began at the agency in March to help launch DROP. Some residents still have questions about how the platform operates, how deletion will be enforced, and how it aligns with California’s broader digital privacy goals.
Read at SFGATE
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