It's Not You, It's Me. No, Wait — It's You: How to Break Up With Every Data Broker in California at Once

Send a breakup text to CA data brokers.

How to send one breakup text that reaches every data broker in California — for free.

California just wrote you a breakup text that reaches every data broker in the state at once — free to send.

What CA DROP actually is

DROP — the Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform — is a free tool built by the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) that lets you submit one deletion request that reaches every data broker registered in the state (500+), instead of hunting down each company's opt-out page one at a time. You verify your identity once, submit the request, and the CPPA routes it out to the entire registry on your behalf. The platform opened to consumers on January 1, 2026, but the part that actually matters — brokers being required to process those requests — kicked in August 1, 2026. So this is the first month DROP has real teeth.

Why this matters to you

Data brokers profit from compiling your address, phone number, income estimates, and browsing habits — usually without you ever agreeing to it. Before DROP, opting out meant filing a separate request with every broker individually, and realistically, almost nobody did this. One free, state-run request now covers the entire registered-broker list at once.

How to submit a request

Go to privacy.ca.gov/drop, verify your identity, and submit your deletion request. That's it — the CPPA routes it to every registered broker for you.

The honest part

DROP is genuinely useful, but it's not a magic switch that silences every robocall, spam text, or random telemarketer. It only reaches brokers that are actually registered with California — companies operating outside that registry aren't covered. Think of it as clearing out the biggest, most official pile of your data, not sealing every leak everywhere.

If you want the fuller picture — reducing spam calls, cleaning up old accounts, tightening down what's floating around about you online — that's a bigger project than one form, and it's exactly the kind of digital cleanup I help clients with.

Submit your own DROP request → —
or if want to work on other privacy issues, book a session →