Is DROP live now, and can I use it today?

Yes. California residents have been able to submit deletion requests through DROP since January 1, 2026, and more than 242,000 have already done so. The date still ahead is August 1, 2026, which is when registered data brokers must begin processing what you filed. Submitting now simply means you are in the queue when that obligation starts.

Completely. DROP is run by the California Privacy Protection Agency, a state body, and there is no charge to file or to keep your request active. Any site charging you to submit a DROP request is reselling something the state gives away.

Do I have to be a California resident to use DROP?

Yes, and residency is verified. The Delete Act is California law and DROP only accepts requests from verified California residents. If you live elsewhere, see our guide to what your state allows, and use the per-site opt-out guides in the meantime.

Does DROP delete my data from every website?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. DROP reaches data brokers registered with the CPPA, which is a large but bounded list. It does not touch Google or other search engines, social networks, non-broker websites, unregistered brokers, or companies you handed your data to directly, and it cannot override FCRA, GLBA, or HIPAA retention rules.

Is a DROP request one-time or ongoing?

Ongoing, which is what makes it stronger than a single opt-out. Registered brokers must keep suppressing your information rather than deleting it once and re-adding it at the next data refresh, and from August 1, 2026 they must check the platform at least every 45 days for new and continuing requests.

What happens to brokers that ignore DROP?

The Delete Act carries real penalties, and the CPPA has already been enforcing the registration piece: failing to register carries a fine of $200 per day. Enforcement of the deletion obligations follows the August 1, 2026 processing deadline.

Should I still use the individual opt-out guides if I file with DROP?

Yes, for anything DROP does not cover. A DROP request handles the registered brokers; our per-site guides cover the people-search sites you can see listing you right now, including any that never registered. Running a free scan first shows you which ones to prioritise.

California Delete Act

California's DROP: delete your data in one request

Last updated: July 26, 2026

If you live in California, you have something no one else in the US has yet: a single, free, government-run request that tells every registered data broker to delete your personal information at once. It is called DROP - the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform - and it is run by the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA).

What the Delete Act is

The California Delete Act (Senate Bill 362, signed in October 2023) requires data brokers doing business in California to register with the state each year and to honor deletion requests submitted through one central platform. Instead of filing opt-outs at hundreds of sites one by one, a Californian files once and DROP forwards it to all of them.

Two dates that matter (do not confuse them)

Now: Consumer sign-ups have been live since January 2026. You can create a profile and submit a deletion request today.
August 1, 2026: Registered data brokers must begin accessing DROP and processing requests - checking for new requests at least every 45 days and deleting matched data unless a legal exception applies. Requests filed before then may not be acted on until brokers come online.

How to use DROP

1
Confirm California residency
Go to privacy.ca.gov/drop and click Get Started. You verify residency either by entering personal information or through Login.gov. You qualify if you live in or are domiciled in California, even if temporarily elsewhere.
2
Create an encrypted profile
Provide identifying details - name, date of birth, email, phone, and optionally advertising IDs. The data is encrypted immediately. The more you provide, the more records brokers can match and delete, but what you enter is your choice.
3
Submit and track
Submit the single request, which is sent to every registered data broker (over 500). You get a unique DROP ID to track its status online.

The official platform is at privacy.ca.gov/drop. It is free - DROP is a state service, not a company that profits from your data.

What DROP does and does not cover

One submission reaches all registered brokers at once, and it works as an ongoing opt-out - brokers must keep suppressing your data, not just delete it once. But it has real limits:

It only reaches the brokers registered with the CPPA - not every people-search site, and not companies you gave your data to directly.
It does not remove you from Google, social media, or non-broker websites.
It does not override legal exemptions - data covered by credit-reporting (FCRA), financial (GLBA), or medical (HIPAA) rules can be retained.
It only helps verified California residents.

For sites DROP does not touch, our opt-out guides cover the major people-search brokers one by one, and a paid removal service can handle the long tail nationwide. See DROP vs paid removal services to decide what you need.

DROP by the numbers

The platform is no longer theoretical. Figures reported from the CPPA's February 2026 board meeting give a sense of both the uptake and the scale of the industry it reaches:

Measure	As reported
Californians who have filed a DROP request	More than 242,000
Requests in the first 48 hours	About 18,000
Registered California data brokers	459 in June 2025, more than 575 by February 2026
Penalty for failing to register	$200 per day
How often brokers must check DROP from Aug 1, 2026	At least every 45 days

Source: California Privacy Protection Agency figures presented at its February 2026 board meeting, as reported by the IAPP, and the CPPA's own data broker registry. Note that the live registry page currently renders a broker count of zero, which is a display artifact rather than a real figure.

CalPrivacy Executive Director Tom Kemp, on the size of the registry: "No other state or even past data broker registries here in California have as many registered data brokers." That is the reason DROP matters even with its limits - one form reaches an industry that otherwise takes hundreds of separate requests.