Beginning in 2026, California residents can access the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) and request data brokers delete their personal information – information collected from third parties or from consumers in a non-“first party” capacity (i.e., through an interaction where the consumer did not intend or expect to interact with the data broker).

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, such personal information includes any data that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to a resident or their household, directly or indirectly. For example, it would include name or nickname; email address; purchase history; browsing history; location data: employment data; IP address; profiles businesses create about you, including pseudonymous profiles (“user1234”); and sensitive personal information.

Relying on Civil Code section 1798.99.80 et seq and Civil Code section 1798.140(v), DROP is administered by the California Privacy Protection Agency and is a great step in better consumer control of personal information.