SACRAMENTO, CA — State Senator Josh Becker (D–Menlo Park) today announced that California’s Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP) has far exceeded expectations, receiving more than 100,000 deletion requests in its first seven days, which is a major milestone for the strongest consumer privacy law in the nation.
DROP, which launched earlier this month pursuant to the Delete Act, authored by Becker, gives Californians a free, simple, one-stop tool to permanently delete their personal information from data brokers that buy and sell sensitive data without consent.
“This response has been extraordinary,” said Becker. “DROP is wildly popular because it does exactly what it was designed to do: give people real control over their personal information. More than 100,000 Californians took action in just one week. That tells you everything you need to know about how urgently this protection was needed.”
Senator Becker emphasized that the platform’s smooth rollout and strong performance reflect effective public stewardship.
“DROP is working exactly as intended: securely, reliably, and at scale,” Becker said. “That’s a testament to good governance and the dedicated public servants who built this system to put people first.”
The Delete Act was enacted to address the largely invisible data broker industry, which collects and sells sensitive personal information, including location data, health-related searches, family details, and financial indicators, often without consumers’ knowledge or consent. Prior to DROP, Californians were required to contact over 545 individual data brokers one by one to request deletion, an unrealistic burden for most people.
“This law was always about the real-world consequences of unchecked data collection,” Becker added. “When personal data is weaponized, people can be stalked, scammed, discriminated against, or denied care. Privacy is not abstract. It affects safety, dignity, and freedom in very real ways.”
Senator Becker thanked Governor Gavin Newsom for signing the Delete Act into law and for acknowledging that the Delete Act was a game-changer for privacy rights, as well as the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) and its Executive Director Tom Kemp for successfully delivering the nation’s most advanced privacy enforcement tool.
“I want to thank Governor Newsom, CalPrivacy, and Tom Kemp for their leadership and partnership,” Becker said. “This is what it looks like when state government delivers a big idea and executes it well.”
Deletion of personal data submitted through DROP will begin August 1, 2026, with data brokers required to comply or face daily fines. The platform also ensures ongoing deletion, preventing newly collected data from being sold in the future.
Becker noted that this milestone is only the beginning.
“We are already working on additional legislation to further expand the types of information protected by this tool,” he said. “California is setting the standard, and other states and the federal government should follow our lead.”
Californians can submit a request today at: https://privacy.ca.gov/drop.