August 2, 2026
Data brokers just got served
Californians' data deletion requests, DROP, become enforceable Aug. 1
One click to wipe your data, and the comments instantly turned into chaos
TLDR: Starting Aug. 1, Californians can use one state-run form to tell registered data brokers to stop selling their personal information, instead of contacting hundreds of companies one by one. Commenters loved the idea but immediately asked the messy question: what about the shady data collectors who aren’t registered at all?
California just dropped a small bomb on the data-selling world: starting Aug. 1, people in the state can use DROP to tell registered data brokers to stop selling their personal information with one request instead of chasing down roughly 600 companies. About 350,000 Californians have already signed up, and brokers get 45 days to act or risk fines. Translation for normal humans: the state is finally offering a giant "make it stop" button for the creepy feeling that your shopping, streaming, and browsing habits are being vacuumed up and passed around.
But the real fireworks were in the community reaction. One camp was immediately like, "Cool, but why stop there?" One commenter dreamed of a monthly auto-delete service for everything from online accounts to their car’s built-in tracking, basically saying modern gadgets are little tattletales on wheels. Another commenter went straight for the loophole panic: what about unregistered data brokers? If shady companies aren’t on the list, does the delete button only work on the people polite enough to admit they’re collecting your info?
And then, of course, the internet did what it does best: got weird and funny. Someone joked, "Does this mean people can delete comments from HN?" Another zeroed in on the maddening fine print, asking how people are supposed to use ad ID fields if companies don’t clearly show users where to find them. The vibe was a mix of celebration, suspicion, and classic online snark: great idea, but is it actually enough to stop the data gremlins?
Key Points
- •Starting Aug. 1, registered California data brokers must honor requests submitted through the state’s Delete Request Opt-out Platform (DROP).
- •DROP lets California residents submit one request to stop registered data brokers from selling their personal information instead of contacting about 600 brokers individually.
- •Since Jan. 1, about 350,000 Californians have signed up through the DROP website.
- •Registered data brokers have 45 days to process requests, and noncompliant companies can face fines of $200 per day for each affected Californian.
- •Cal Privacy said it has already fined 12 data brokers tens of thousands of dollars each for failing to register in the DROP system.