Overview
- DROP now allows Californians to ask more than 500 registered data brokers to delete their personal information and stop selling it through a single portal.
- Users verify identity via the California Identity Gateway or Login.gov and can add identifiers like emails, mobile advertising IDs, and vehicle VINs to improve record matching; each request generates a DROP ID for tracking.
- Data brokers are not required to begin processing DROP requests until August 1, 2026, after which they must act on a 45‑day cadence and report outcomes within up to 90 days.
- The Delete Act authorizes $200‑per‑day fines for brokers that fail to register or to honor valid deletion requests; publicly available records and data retained for legal investigations are exempt.
- The California Privacy Protection Agency recently fined Rickenbacher Data LLC d/b/a Datamasters and S&P Global for failing to register as data brokers, signaling active enforcement of registration rules.