How to delete your data from 500+ data brokers with California's free DROP tool

Yes — if you live in California, you can now request deletion of your personal information from more than 500 registered data brokers in a single submission, using a free state-run tool called DROP. It launched for consumers on January 1, 2026, brokers began processing requests on August 1, 2026, and it does not cover every category of data or every resident in the country.

Who can use DROP, and what does it delete?

DROP — the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform — is built and run by the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) under the state's Delete Act. It lets a verified California resident send one deletion request that reaches every data broker registered with the state at once, instead of filing a separate opt-out with each company, according to the CPPA's own program page.

Eligibility is narrow by design: only people who can verify California residency can create a DROP profile. More than 500 data brokers are currently registered with the state, per the CPPA, and each of them is legally required to check DROP on a recurring cycle and act on any pending requests.

A data broker, for these purposes, is any business that buys, sells, or otherwise trades your personal information without having a direct relationship with you — the companies behind people-search sites, marketing lists, and background-check tools. They're the reason a stranger can find your home address, phone number, or relatives' names for a small fee, and the reason scam callers and phishing emails so often already know a detail or two about you before they reach out.

How do I submit a deletion request?

The process is short and does not require paying anyone. Based on the CPPA's own walkthrough, here is what it looks like:

1. Go to the DROP sign-up page at privacy.ca.gov/data-brokers. You'll land on a page explaining the tool and a button to start.
2. Verify that you're a California resident. The platform confirms your eligibility before letting you proceed.
3. Create your profile. This is the identity record data brokers will match their own records against.
4. Submit your DROP request. One click sends the deletion request to every registered broker simultaneously — you don't repeat this for each company.
5. Check back anytime. You can return to DROP later to see your deletion status or update the information tied to your profile.

There's no fee for consumers. Data brokers, by contrast, pay the state an annual registration fee of $6,000 plus payment-processing costs to stay on the registry, according to the CPPA.

What happens after you submit a request?

Nothing happens instantly, and that's by design under the law. Data brokers must check DROP for new deletion requests at least once every 45 days, a cycle that started August 1, 2026. Once a broker picks up your request, it has a further window — up to 90 days — to process it and report the outcome back through the platform, per the CPPA.

You'll start seeing status updates inside your DROP profile as brokers report back, rather than a single confirmation email. A broker that ignores the law isn't just facing an angry customer: California can fine a non-compliant broker $200 per day plus enforcement costs, according to the CPPA.

The tool has seen fast uptake. Governor Gavin Newsom's office said in a January 20, 2026 announcement that more than 155,000 Californians had already used DROP within its first three weeks. “Your data should belong to you, and DROP will make that happen in one simple step,” Newsom said in that statement. CalPrivacy Executive Director Tom Kemp added that the platform “makes exercising privacy rights simple, free, and accessible for millions of Californians.”

DROP versus opting out broker by broker

Method	Coverage	Effort	Cost
DROP (California residents only)	500+ registered data brokers at once	One profile, one submission	Free
Manual opt-out per broker	Only the brokers you individually contact	A separate request — and often a separate verification step — for every company	Free, but time-intensive; some third-party removal services charge a recurring fee to do this on your behalf

Manual opt-outs still matter for one reason: DROP only reaches brokers registered with California, and it doesn't touch data a company collected directly from you as a first party — think a retailer's own loyalty program or a bank's own records. Those still require going to the company itself.

What stays out of reach — and what if you don't live in California?

DROP's reach has real limits. Vehicle registration records, voter rolls, and health data covered separately under HIPAA are exempted from the deletion mandate, according to reporting from TechCrunch that reviewed the rollout. Data a business collected about you directly, rather than bought from a broker, also falls outside DROP's scope.

If you live outside California, DROP itself isn't available to you — residency verification is a hard gate. Some states have their own data-broker registries and opt-out mechanisms with narrower coverage; check your state attorney general's consumer-privacy page for what exists locally. In the meantime, an old-fashioned manual opt-out with the largest people-search and marketing-data sites still reduces your exposure even without a one-click tool behind it.

Two things are worth watching if you're a California resident who has already submitted a request. First, a deletion isn't permanent immunity — a broker that buys fresh data about you after processing your request isn't automatically required to delete that new record until you submit again, so it's worth checking your DROP profile every few months rather than treating this as a one-time errand. Second, DROP only reaches brokers that actually registered with the state; a broker operating outside the law wouldn't be checking the platform at all, which is part of why the CPPA's fines exist as a separate enforcement lever rather than relying on the registry alone.

For a related privacy perspective, read Neuroscience and Quantum Researcher Ali Karakus Aims to Slow Aging of Brain.