Governor Newsom announces first-in-the-nation privacy tool allowing Californians to block the sale of their data

What you need to know: As of January 1, Californians can tell data brokers to stop selling their personal information through a simple online platform-DROP

SACRAMENTO - Governor Newsom and the California Privacy Protection Agency are unveiling a new tool that enables Californians to easily opt out of the sale of their information by data brokers. The tool, Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, better known as DROP, was made possible by SB 362 (Becker) (the Delete Act), signed by Governor Newsom in 2023, which helps continue advancing California's nation-leading privacy protections.

A little over two years ago, I signed a nation-leading law to give Californians more control over their data, and the ability to tell data brokers that their information is not for sale. Your data should belong to you, and DROP will make that happen in one simple step.

Governor Gavin Newsom

Data brokers quietly work to collect, combine, analyze, trade, and sell personal information, usually without a person's knowledge or explicit consent, creating risks for fraud and other nefarious outcomes.

As of January 1, Californians can submit a single deletion request to registered data brokers through DROP. DROP quickly verifies the user's California residency and then transmits the deletion request to the data brokers. Under the Delete Act, data brokers must start processing deletion requests August 1, 2026.

DROP helps give Californians better control over their data and simplifies the process of requesting that data brokers stop sharing and selling their data. Previously consumers would have to make requests to each data broker individually, making the process extremely difficult and time-consuming.

"DROP is a game changer for consumer privacy," said Tom Kemp, Executive Director of the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy). "It's the first platform of its kind and it makes exercising privacy rights simple, free, and accessible for millions of Californians. It gives people a straightforward way to take control of their personal information."

To date, more than 155,000 Californians have taken control of their personal information.

"With the launch of DROP, California is once again setting the national standard for consumer privacy," said Senator Josh Becker, author of the Delete Act. "I wrote this bill to give people real control over their personal information and protect them from scams, identity theft, and spam emails. And I'm grateful to see that it's being called the toughest privacy protection law in the country."

DROP is the first government-built platform of its kind in the world-developed by CalPrivacy in partnership with the California Department of Technology (CDT), once again demonstrating that California is the hub of government technology innovation and digital government services that residents can trust and rely on.

"Privacy only works if people can trust the technology behind it," said Liana Bailey-Crimmins, California State Chief Information Officer. "Our promise was to deliver an easy-to-use and secure platform for all Californians to decide whether or not data brokers can use or sell their personal information-and that's exactly what DROP does."

DROP and the Delete Act reflect Governor Newsom's broader commitment to protecting consumer rights and leveraging technology to serve the public interest.

CalPrivacy oversees policy and enforcement of the Delete Act and CDT is responsible for delivering and maintaining the secure digital infrastructure that makes the DROP platform work statewide.

For more information about the Delete Act and how Californians can submit a deletion request, visit https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/.

The California Department of Technology serves as the custodian of public data, an innovator in IT services and solutions, overseeing policy development, facilitating collaboration across agencies, ensuring effective IT project management, safeguarding information integrity, delivering technological services, and championing advocacy efforts.

The California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) is committed to promoting the education and awareness of consumers' privacy rights and businesses' responsibilities under the California Consumer Privacy Act, Delete Act, and Opt Me Out Act.