California DROP Deletion Requests Enforceable Aug. 1
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- California's DROP platform becomes enforceable August 1, requiring roughly 600 registered data brokers to honor deletion requests submitted through the state system.
- About 350,000 Californians signed up through the DROP website between January 1 and the article's publication date.
- Registered data brokers have 45 days to process each deletion request submitted through DROP, with the 45-day window resetting for new requests.
- Companies that fail to comply face fines of $200 per day for each affected Californian, according to Cal Privacy.
- Cal Privacy has already fined 12 data brokers tens of thousands of dollars each for failing to register in the DROP system.
- Tom Kemp, Executive Director of Cal Privacy, described consumers' personal information as 'basically oil' and warned that 'the bad guys, the hackers are leveraging the data from data brokers.'
- Cal Privacy cautioned that only California residents can use DROP and that the tool will not erase all personal information that exists online.
Why it matters: Roughly 600 registered data brokers must now honor California deletion requests or face $200-per-day fines per affected Californian, and Cal Privacy has already shown teeth — fining 12 brokers tens of thousands of dollars each for failing to register. The agency itself notes, however, that DROP won't erase all personal data online.
