California’s Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) launched for residents on January 1, 2026. Since August 1, 2026, registered data brokers have been required to access and process DROP requests. The system gives a California resident one free request aimed at more than 600 registered or active brokers, but it is not a universal “delete everything about me” button.
DROP directs participating brokers to delete qualifying personal information they can match to you and stop selling it. Information you gave directly to a retailer, employer, app or other service may require a separate privacy request.
What changed under California’s Delete Act
Before DROP, California residents generally had to find data brokers one at a time and submit separate deletion or opt-out requests. The Delete Act created broker registration and consumer-rights obligations; DROP adds a state-operated delivery system that distributes one request across the registered broker industry. CalPrivacy describes the platform and its scope at its explanation of DROP and the Delete Act.
CalPrivacy’s current consumer page says the platform reaches more than 600 registered or active brokers. The registry can change, so that number should be treated as a dated snapshot rather than a permanent total. DROP is free to consumers.
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Who can use DROP
You must be a California resident. Residency is checked through the California Identity Gateway or another available verification route; you do not necessarily need a separate Identity Gateway account. Requests may be made for another California resident in appropriate circumstances, such as for a child or an elderly relative.
Eligibility follows residency, not citizenship. A person who is not a California resident should use the privacy process available in their own jurisdiction rather than trying to bypass DROP’s verification.
How to file a request
- Start at the official service. Use CalPrivacy’s DROP page and its linked consumer portal, consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov. Be cautious of services that imitate the state site.
- Verify residency. Complete the California Identity Gateway or the alternative verification offered in the portal.
- Create your profile. Enter accurate identifiers that can help brokers locate records belonging to you.
- Submit the request. DROP sends the request to participating brokers for matching and processing.
- Save your DROP ID. Keep it so you can check progress and make later updates.
- Review the result. Check status after the processing window. If a broker reports no match, add accurate missing identifiers and submit an update rather than combining multiple people into one profile.
The detailed matching guidance is available at How DROP works.
What information should you provide?
The portal can accept identifiers including:
- Current and former names, including a maiden name
- Date of birth
- ZIP codes
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
- Mobile advertising IDs
- Connected-TV advertising IDs
- Vehicle identification numbers
More accurate identifiers can improve matching when you have changed names, addresses, phone numbers, email accounts, devices or vehicles. Supply only information that is accurate and yours. The trade-off is unavoidable: the system needs identifiers to find records, and your submission authorizes disclosure to participating brokers for request processing.
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What DROP can delete—and what it cannot
| Covered or potentially covered | Usually outside DROP’s automatic reach |
|---|---|
| Qualifying personal information held by a registered data broker and matched to your identifiers | Information you supplied directly in a purchase, account, newsletter signup or other first-party relationship |
| Sensitive information and inferences derived from matched broker records, subject to legal exceptions | Records held by nonregistered organizations, including many retailers, employers, apps and service providers |
| Broker-held information that the request directs the broker to delete and stop selling | Public records, search-engine pages, social-network content and government databases |
| Information the broker later reacquires, which the broker must keep deleted under the continuing-deletion requirement | Data that cannot be matched because identifiers are missing, stale or formatted differently |
CalPrivacy discusses first-party boundaries at its personal-information and data-broker guidance. A “no match” response does not prove that no information exists; it may mean the broker’s record could not be reliably linked to the identifiers supplied.
How long deletion takes
Beginning August 1, 2026, brokers must access and process DROP requests at least once every 45 calendar days. CalPrivacy’s consumer guidance says deletion may take up to 90 days. These are different parts of the same timetable: a 45-day rolling processing cadence is not an instant-deletion guarantee, and the practical completion window can extend to 90 days.
Keep the DROP ID and check the status rather than expecting every broker to respond immediately. The agency’s current explanation is at How data-broker deletions work.
The privacy trade-off
DROP reduces the paperwork of contacting hundreds of brokers, but it requires enough personal information to make matching possible. CalPrivacy says the data is used to facilitate deletion, protected in storage and hashed or encrypted for matching. You also consent to disclosure to participating brokers so they can process the request.
For many Californians worried about people-search listings, stalking, profiling or broker breaches, that is a reasonable risk-benefit decision because the official service is free. Someone with a stricter threat model should read the portal’s terms before submitting optional identifiers and provide only what is needed for a credible match.
Deleting broker records can reduce targeted advertising and personalization. It does not stop unrelated companies from collecting information through direct interactions or new sources.
What to do if the result is incomplete
- No match: Confirm that you included relevant former names, ZIP codes, emails, phone numbers, advertising IDs or VINs, then update the profile with accurate information.
- Direct-company data remains: Send a separate request through the company’s California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) rights process. DROP generally does not replace a first-party request.
- Information reappears: A broker can obtain a fresh record from another source, or you may create new signals by changing contact details, devices or vehicles. Review your profile periodically and update identifiers when they change.
- Suspected noncompliance: Retain status records and use CalPrivacy’s official channels. Do not assume that a statutory penalty automatically means every broker is complying.
What brokers must do
Brokers must register, access DROP on the required cycle, standardize or hash records for matching, delete qualifying matched data, report status and maintain deletion when they reacquire the information. CalPrivacy’s broker workflow is described at Process DROP requests.
The law authorizes a $200-per-day penalty, plus applicable costs, for failing to register and a $200-per-day, per-deletion-request penalty, plus applicable costs, for failing to delete. Those are statutory remedies; their existence does not establish that fines have already been imposed in every case. The broker-facing requirements are summarized at CalPrivacy’s data-broker guidance.
For 2026, the registration fee is $6,000 plus payment-processing charges. That fee applies to brokers, not consumers; the consumer platform remains free. The fee schedule is posted at CalPrivacy’s registration-fee page.
Is a paid removal service necessary?
No. A California resident can use DROP without buying anything. Commercial services such as DeleteMe, Incogni and Optery may add managed opt-outs, exposure reports or recurring monitoring, but they are convenience products, not replacements for California’s legal mechanism. Their current prices, coverage, refund terms and site counts should be checked directly before purchase.
A paid service may make sense if you want ongoing monitoring or do not want to handle follow-up yourself. It is redundant if your goal is simply to submit the free statewide request and review the results personally.
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DROP is a meaningful reduction in the administrative burden of data-broker opt-outs: one free, state-run request can reach more than 600 registered or active brokers. File if you are a California resident concerned about broker-held information, submit accurate identifiers, save the DROP ID and allow up to 90 days while brokers work on their 45-day cycle. Treat the result as one layer of privacy protection, not a promise that first-party records, public information or every copy of your data will disappear from the internet.
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