California DROP: one request to all registered data brokers (California residents only)

One free request asks every data broker registered in California to delete your information, and to keep checking.

This is free. You don't need Free My ID to do it.

Printing this for someone? Press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on a Mac).

Cost: Free. The page says 'we will never charge you to use DROP'.
Time: About 20 minutes to ask. Then wait. Results can take up to 90 days to show.
Official site: privacy.ca.gov

What to have ready

Proof you live in California (done through the California Identity Gateway, or your Login.gov sign-in if you have one)
The details you choose to share (name, address and so on)

Check you live in California. Only California residents can use DROP.
Open the DROP web address above. Choose to verify you are a California resident through the California Identity Gateway. You do not need an account there, and DROP says it does not keep that information.
Make your profile. You choose how much to share.
Send one deletion request. It goes to more than 600 registered data brokers.
Come back in a few months and use 'Check DROP status' to see what happened.

Opens privacy.ca.gov, the official website.

You can also submit for another California resident, such as a parent or an elderly relative.
Deleting data may mean fewer personalised ads. Results like fewer spam calls 'will vary by consumer', says the page.
DROP covers registered brokers only. Sites that are not registered, and any outside California, still need their own opt-out.

The DROP page does not say how to cancel a request or close a profile. Ask CalPrivacy through privacy.ca.gov.

We checked these steps on November 7, 2026 against:

Companies change their pages often. If something looks different, follow what the official page says.

Steps from the Free My ID checklists, version 2026.11.07.2 (CC BY-NC 4.0).