California Forces Companies to Delete Your Data by August 2026 — Here's the Free Tool

California just launched a free tool that lets you tell over 500 companies to stop selling your personal information and delete what they have on you — all in one request.

How It Works

Head to privacy.ca.gov/drop — that's the official California Privacy Protection Agency site.

Here's what you need to know:

• You have to be a California resident and verify that through a service called Login.gov. It's legit — run by the federal government.
• The verification takes about 5–10 minutes and you'll need a photo ID handy.
• Once you're verified, you fill out a simple profile with basic info so the data brokers know which records are yours. You control how much you share.
• Then you submit one request, and it goes to all 500+ brokers at once.

What Happens After You Submit

By August 1, 2026, these companies are required by law to delete your data within 90 days. After that, they have to keep deleting it every 45 days going forward.

That means this isn't a one-time thing — once you're in the system, the protection keeps working for you automatically.

Why This Matters

Data brokers collect and sell your personal information — your name, address, phone number, purchasing habits, and more — often without you knowing. This tool puts you back in control.

It takes about 10 minutes to set up. If you care about your privacy, it's worth doing now while you're thinking about it.