The easiest way to make data brokers delete your information, if you live in California, is the state’s free Delete Request and Opt-out Platform, known as DROP. One request goes to every registered data broker, and since August 1, 2026 those brokers have been required to start processing the requests. Outside California there is no equivalent one-stop tool, so you generally have to contact brokers one at a time, using whatever deletion right your state gives you. These facts were checked on October 10, 2026.

Below are the steps for California residents, the options for everyone else, what deletion will and will not accomplish, and the limits of the law as it stands.

What a data broker is, and why you cannot just ask once

A data broker, in the sense California uses, is a business that collects and sells personal information about people it has no direct relationship with. The state’s 2019 registration law, described on a general reference page, requires such businesses to register with the Attorney General. These companies assemble profiles from public records, purchases and other sources, so your name can sit in hundreds of databases that you never signed up for.

That same page notes there is no federal law letting consumers see, correct or opt out of data compiled by brokers. I could not confirm that statement against a current federal source, so read it as the picture reported by that page, and check for newer developments before relying on it. What I can say is that the main legal levers right now are state laws.

California: the DROP route

DROP is run by California’s privacy agency and is described on the agency’s DROP page as a free service that lets you send one deletion request to over 600 registered data brokers, telling them to delete and not sell your data. Another reference page lists 545 brokers on the registry at the start of 2026, so the exact number moves and depends on the date.

The process runs in three steps:

  1. Verify you are a California resident. This goes through the California Identity Gateway, with no account needed, or through Login.gov if you already have one. The page says DROP does not keep your information in this step. Someone can also file for another California resident, such as a parent for a child or a relative for an elderly person.
  2. Create a profile. Only name, date of birth and ZIP code are required. Email, phone numbers and device identifiers such as mobile advertising IDs are optional, and adding them raises the odds that a broker finds a match.
  3. Submit the request. You get a DROP ID of eight digits to track the status. Keep it private.

The platform launched on January 1, 2026. Brokers had to begin pulling requests on August 1, 2026, and then must check at least every 45 days. Status updates can take up to 90 days to appear, and the agency says initial processing should be done by November 2026. In other words, if you submit today, you may not see results for weeks.

The DROP timeline at a glance

Date What happened or happens
October 10, 2023 Delete Act signed, per a secondary reference page
January 1, 2026 DROP opened to California consumers
August 1, 2026 Brokers must begin accessing DROP and processing requests
November 2026 Brokers should have finished their first download and upload cycle, according to the agency
Every 45 days after that Brokers must re-check and delete
January 1, 2028 Independent audits of brokers begin, per the same secondary page

Because the first full cycle is still wrapping up as of this writing, a request filed in the autumn of 2026 may show Pending for a while. That is normal under the schedule and not a sign that something went wrong. If a status stays unchanged well past the 90 days the agency mentions, the agency’s site is the place to look for a way to report a problem.

What DROP does and does not delete

Outcome What it means for you
Deleted A broker found a match and removed what it could about you, not just the identifiers you gave.
Opted-out No exact match was possible, so the broker keeps the data but cannot sell or share it.
Exempted The broker may keep the data under a legal exemption.
Record not found The broker holds nothing on you now, but must keep your request and keep you out of its systems.
Pending Not yet processed.

The agency’s explainer is blunt about the limits. It cannot touch first-party data, meaning what you gave directly to a business, or data a broker may lawfully keep, and publicly available data is excluded. It cannot guarantee deletion, and brokers that report only an opted-out status still hold your information. Deletion may also mean fewer personalized ads, and any drop in spam calls depends on your situation and takes time.

There is an ongoing element too. Once a broker has your request, it must keep reprocessing it, so you do not have to refile. You can exclude particular brokers if there is one you want to keep, though few people will.

The underlying law: California’s Delete Act

DROP comes from the Delete Act, SB 362. A reference summary reports that it was introduced in February 2023, signed on October 10, 2023, that brokers began registering in January 2024, and that independent audits of brokers start January 1, 2028. I could not open the bill text, so those dates come from a secondary page. The agency’s own registry page confirms the headline: from 2026, you may submit a request to delete your non-exempt personal information held by all data brokers.

If you are not in California

You do not get DROP, but you may still have legal tools.

  • A state privacy law with a deletion right. About twenty states have comprehensive privacy laws, according to a tracker I opened, and the California version, summarized by the California Attorney General, includes rights to know, delete, correct and opt out of sale. Many other state laws follow that general pattern, but I did not review each one, so read your own state attorney general’s page.
  • Direct opt-out forms. Most large people-search sites and marketing-data companies post an opt-out page, often in the footer. They vary widely. Expect to supply an email address and a link to your own listing, and expect to repeat the process periodically because data reappears.
  • Advertising opt-outs. The FTC’s privacy guide points to industry tools from the Digital Advertising Alliance and the Network Advertising Initiative, and warns you to opt out on each device and browser. That reduces ad targeting, but it does not erase broker files.
  • A complaint to your state attorney general. If a company ignores a deletion request that a state law covers, that office is the usual place to report it.

I tried to check other states’ broker registries, including Vermont and Texas, but those pages did not load, so I am not describing their rules.

Which details to give when filing

The balance here is between matching and exposure. Only name, date of birth and ZIP code are required, but the agency says brokers compare your information with their own records and that more identifiers make a match more likely. Email addresses and phone numbers are the usual extras. Advertising identifiers on your phone and connected-TV IDs are also accepted.

Think about which brokers hold which details. A marketing-data company may know you mainly by email address and device ID, while a people-search site knows you by name and street address. If you list several old email addresses or numbers, you widen the net. If you list only the bare minimum, you may get more Record not found statuses than you expect.

The agency says DROP does not retain your information during the residency check, and that brokers receiving your request must treat it as a deletion and opt-out instruction. That is reassuring but it is the agency’s description, so read its privacy statement yourself before submitting anything you consider sensitive.

A sensible order of operations

  1. If you live in California, file in DROP first. It covers the most ground for the least effort.
  2. Search your name and city on the major people-search sites, and note which ones show your address, relatives and phone number.
  3. Opt out directly on the sites that matter most to you, such as those showing a home address.
  4. Record the dates, screenshots and confirmation emails. If a company ignores a legal request, those records support a complaint.
  5. Check again in a few months. Brokers refresh their data, and a clean result today does not last forever.

Related questions

Is DROP free?

Yes. The agency describes it as a free service.

Will deleting my data stop spam calls?

Possibly, but the agency says the effect depends on your circumstances and may take time. Other marketing lists, and data you gave companies directly, are untouched.

Can I use DROP if I live elsewhere?

No. It is for California residents, including people domiciled there who are temporarily elsewhere.

Why do brokers keep some of my data?

Laws let them retain certain categories. The DROP explainer lists first-party data, exempted data and publicly available data as outside its reach.

This is general information, not legal advice.

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