Opting out: How Californians can use state’s new tool to block hundreds of data brokers

THE CALIFORNIA PRIVACY PROTECTION AGENCY kicked off 2026 by launching a tool that state residents can use to make data brokers delete and stop selling their personal information. 

The system, known as the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, or DROP, has been in the works for years, mandated by a 2023 law known as the Delete Act. Under it and previous laws, data brokers must register with the state and enable consumers to tell brokers to stop tracking them and selling their information.