# How to use California's DROP to delete your data from data brokers

> DROP, the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, is a free California service at privacy.ca.gov/DROP that sends one deletion request to more than 600 registered data brokers. It opened to residents on January 1, 2026, and since August 1, 2026 brokers must check it at least once every 45 days and delete matching, non-exempt data. Only California residents can use it, and a status update can take up to 90 days to appear.

## What DROP is

Data brokers are companies that collect information about people they have no direct relationship with, then sell it. California law defines a data broker as a business that knowingly collects and sells to third parties the personal information of a consumer with whom it does not have a direct relationship. Before DROP, getting your records deleted meant finding each broker and filing a separate request.

The Delete Act, Senate Bill 362, signed in 2023 and amended by SB 361 in 2025, required the state to build a single place to do this. The California Privacy Protection Agency, which now calls itself CalPrivacy, runs it. The service is free, and CalPrivacy says it will never charge you to use it.

## Who can use it

You must be a California resident. The DROP page also allows a parent or family member to submit a request on behalf of another California resident. If you live elsewhere, DROP does not apply to you, though your own state may have its own rules for data brokers.

## Key dates

| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | DROP opened and Californians could submit requests |
| August 1, 2026 | Data brokers had to start processing requests, and must access DROP at least once every 45 days |
| November 2026 | CalPrivacy expects brokers to have completed their first full download and upload cycle |

After that first cycle, brokers keep processing on a rolling 45-day basis. If you sign up today, your request joins the next round.

## How to submit a request

1. Go to privacy.ca.gov/DROP and start a request.
2. **Verify your residency.** This runs through the California Identity Gateway. According to the DROP page, you do not need to create a Gateway account and your information is not retained by DROP. If you already have a Login.gov account, you can sign in with it instead.
3. **Create your profile.** Enter basic information about yourself. You choose what to provide; brokers need only basic details to find a match.
4. **Add optional identifiers.** CalPrivacy suggests that adding a mobile advertising ID, a connected TV ID or a vehicle identification number can improve matching, as can extra email addresses.
5. **Submit.** CalPrivacy says the process takes less than 10 minutes.
6. **Keep your DROP ID private.** You receive an eight-digit DROP ID. You can ask for it by email if you lose it.

What you enter is hashed before brokers see it. Brokers hash their own records the same way and compare the results, so your raw details are not handed to each company.

## Finding your advertising ID before you add it

The advertising ID is the identifier many apps and brokers use to tie your phone to a profile. On Android you can read it in your phone's ad settings. iPhones do not display theirs. The steps are in our guide on [how to look up and reset your phone's advertising ID](/guides/find-mobile-advertising-id/).

One practical point: the ID brokers hold is your current one. If you plan to reset or delete it, copy it into your DROP profile first, then reset it. Otherwise you would be submitting an ID no broker has seen.

## What the statuses mean

After brokers process your request, each one reports a status, which you can check through the "Check DROP status" link on the DROP page:

- **Pending**: the broker has not processed your request yet.
- **Record deleted**: the broker found a match and deleted the non-exempt data it held.
- **Record exempted**: the broker found a match but is legally allowed to keep the data.
- **Record not found**: no match, or the broker holds nothing about you.
- **Record opted out of sale**: the matched information is shared by more than one person, so the broker may keep it but can no longer sell or share it.

CalPrivacy warns that updates can take up to 90 days to appear, and timing varies by broker. If you see mostly "not found", adding another email address or phone number you have used may help.

## What brokers have to do

Under the regulations, a broker that matches your request must delete the personal information associated with the match, including inferences drawn from it. Your request stays on file, so a broker that later collects new data about you has to delete that as well. You do not need to submit again every year.

## What DROP does not do

DROP is powerful but narrow. Knowing the edges saves frustration:

- **It covers registered data brokers only.** Companies you deal with directly, such as your bank, your phone carrier or a shop where you have an account, are not data brokers for the data they collected from you. For them, use your rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act and contact each company.
- **Some data is exempt.** The definition of data broker excludes businesses to the extent they are covered by laws such as the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act and California's Insurance Information and Privacy Protection Act, along with certain health-information processing. A broker also does not have to delete data it collected directly from you as a first party.
- **Public records are not personal information under the CCPA.** CalPrivacy notes that publicly available government records, such as property or court records, are outside the definition.
- **It does not touch search results.** A people-search page may disappear from a broker's own site, but copies elsewhere and search engine listings are separate. Google's [Results about you](/guides/google-results-about-you/) tool handles Google Search.
- **It does not stop you sharing new data.** Brokers get information from apps, loyalty programs and public posts. Cutting the supply helps as much as deleting the stock.

## Reducing what brokers can collect next

DROP deletes what brokers already have. A few habits cut down what they can gather in the future:

- Limit app tracking on your phone, as covered in the advertising ID guide.
- Strip location and device details from photos before you post them, using [remove location from a photo](/remove-location-from-photo/).
- Use a separate email address for shopping and sign-ups, and add it to your DROP profile so brokers can match it.

## FAQ

### Does DROP cost anything?

No. CalPrivacy states that it will never charge you to use DROP. The official form takes a few minutes, so there is no need to pay anyone to file it for you.

### Do I have to renew my request every year?

No. CalPrivacy describes DROP as a one-time submission: brokers must keep your data deleted if they collect it again later. You can return to update your profile with new email addresses or phone numbers.

### Why do most brokers show "Record not found"?

Many brokers hold nothing about a given person, or hold it under details you did not enter. Adding older email addresses, other phone numbers or an advertising ID can produce more matches.

### Can I submit a request for my elderly parent?

The DROP page says a parent or family member can submit a request for another California resident. The person must be a California resident.

### Will DROP remove my address from people-search websites?

Registered brokers that run such sites must delete matching, non-exempt data. Copies on unregistered sites, news articles and search engine results are not covered.

## Sources

Checked 2026-10-11.

- [CalPrivacy: DROP, the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform](https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/)
- [CalPrivacy: About DROP and the Delete Act](https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/about-drop-and-the-delete-act/)
- [CalPrivacy: DROP data broker deletions, how do they work?](https://privacy.ca.gov/2026/07/drop-data-broker-deletions-how-do-they-work/)
- [CalPrivacy: DROP for data brokers](https://privacy.ca.gov/drop-for-data-brokers/)
- [CalPrivacy: Data broker registration and DROP regulations (PDF)](https://privacy.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/357/2026/03/data_broker_drop_reg.pdf)
- [CalPrivacy: A mini-guide to making sense of personal information](https://privacy.ca.gov/2026/09/a-mini-guide-to-making-sense-of-personal-information/)
- [California Civil Code section 1798.99.80 (definition of data broker)](https://california.public.law/codes/civil_code_section_1798.99.80)

Last updated: 2026-10-11