The California DELETE Act & the DROP platform
California’s DELETE Act (SB 362) created the first one-stop way to delete yourself from data brokers. Through the state’s DROP platform, a single request removes your data from every registered broker — residents can submit requests from January 1, 2026, and brokers must start honoring them by August 1, 2026.
What the DELETE Act does
Before the DELETE Act, opting out of data brokers meant filing the same request with hundreds of companies, one at a time — and doing it again every few weeks as they re-listed you. SB 362 changes that for California residents in two ways: it forces every data broker to register with the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA), and it creates DROP — the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform — a single state-run channel where one deletion request reaches all registered brokers at once.
The 2026 timeline
How to use DROP
- Verify you’re a California residentDROP is run by the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) and is open to California consumers; you’ll confirm your identity when you register.
- Create one deletion request in DROPSubmit a single request through the CPPA’s DROP platform listing the personal information you want removed.
- Let it fan out to every registered brokerRegistered data brokers must check DROP and delete the data of consumers who requested it — so one request reaches them all, instead of hundreds of separate opt-outs.
- Brokers must keep honoring itBrokers re-check DROP every 45 days and must continue deleting your data going forward, not just once.
- Cover the gapsDROP only reaches brokers registered in California. Use a direct opt-out and breach monitoring to catch unregistered sites and new exposures.
What DROP doesn’t cover
DROP is powerful but not total. It only reaches brokers registered in California, only applies to companies that meet the legal definition of a data broker, and can’t stop your profile from being rebuilt from fresh public records. People-search sites you can be looked up on, unregistered brokers, and breaches that have already leaked your data all sit outside it. That’s why a direct opt-out across broker and people-search sites plus ongoing breach monitoring still matter, even for Californians.
How it fits with the CCPA
The DELETE Act builds on the broader California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA), which already lets you access, delete and stop the sale of your data with any business. The DELETE Act adds the data-broker registry and the one-request DROP channel on top — together they make California the strongest state in the country for getting your personal data deleted.
See what the brokers have before you delete it
Run a free check to see where your data is exposed across breach and broker databases — then we remove it from 499 sites and keep watching, so DROP isn’t the only thing standing between you and the brokers.
DELETE Act & DROP, explained
What is the California DELETE Act?
The DELETE Act (SB 362) is a California law that requires data brokers to register with the California Privacy Protection Agency and to honor deletion requests made through a single state-run platform called DROP — the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform.
What is DROP and when can I use it?
DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform) lets California residents make one request to delete their data from every registered data broker at once. Consumers can submit requests starting January 1, 2026, and data brokers must begin processing them by August 1, 2026.
Does DROP remove me from every data broker?
It removes you from every data broker registered with California, and they must keep honoring your request every 45 days. It does not reach brokers that aren’t registered, sites outside the data-broker definition, or new listings built from fresh public records — so a direct opt-out and ongoing monitoring still matter.
Is DROP free?
Yes. Submitting a deletion request through the state DROP platform is free for California consumers.