California’s New Law empowers residents to Control Their Data
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A recently enacted California law, among the nation’s strictest, simplifies the process for residents to demand the deletion of their personal data held by data brokers.
The Problem of Data Brokers
Hundreds of companies actively collect and sell personal data, according to the California Privacy Protection Agency. These “data brokers” gather information from various sources and package it for sale to marketers, private investigators, and others.
A 2024 report by the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog detailed how brokers obtain data by “trawling” businesses like automakers, tech companies, restaurants, and device manufacturers, collecting details on finances, purchases, family situations, health habits, travel, and entertainment preferences.
The Delete Act and Its Limitations
California’s Delete Act, which took effect two years prior to January 1, 2024, initially required data brokers to allow residents to view and delete their data. However, Consumer Watchdog found that only 1% of Californians utilized these rights within the first year. the primary obstacle was the need to submit individual deletion requests to each data broker – a daunting task given the sheer number of companies involved.
Introducing DROP: A Streamlined Solution
to address this challenge, the new DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform) law went into effect on January 1, 2024. DROP allows California residents to submit a single data deletion request, which the state’s CalPrivacy agency then forwards to all registered data brokers. This centralized system significantly simplifies the process of exercising data privacy rights.
