California Launches Nation’s First Tool Allowing Residents to Block Sale of Their Data

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Newsom and the California Privacy Protection Agency are unveiling a new tool that enables Californians to easily opt out of the sale of their information by data brokers. The tool, Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, better known as DROP, was made possible by SB 362 (Becker) (the Delete Act), signed by Gov. Newsom in 2023, which helps continue advancing California’s nation-leading privacy protections.

Data brokers quietly work to collect, combine, analyze, trade, and sell personal information, usually without a person’s knowledge or explicit consent, creating risks for fraud and other nefarious outcomes. 

As of Jan. 1, Californians can submit a single deletion request to registered data brokers through DROP. DROP quickly verifies the user’s California residency and then transmits the deletion request to the data brokers. Under the Delete Act, data brokers must start processing deletion requests Aug. 1, 2026. 

DROP helps give Californians better control over their data and simplifies the process of requesting that data brokers stop sharing and selling their data. Previously consumers would have to make requests to each data broker individually, making the process extremely difficult and time-consuming.

To date, more than 155,000 Californians have taken control of their personal information.

Details: Find information about the Delete Act and how Californians can submit a deletion request at: https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/.