California Privacy Protection Agency offers one‑click DROP to request deletion of consumer data

Tom Kemp, executive director of the California Privacy Protection Agency, described a new online tool called the Delete Request and Opt Out Platform, or DROP, that the agency says will let Californians request deletion of their personal data from data brokers with a single submission.

Kemp said DROP is a free, state-run mechanism that “gives Californians the ability to basically have a single click mechanism to get their data deleted from data brokers.” He said the system has been available since Jan. 1 and that data brokers will begin connecting to the platform in August to perform deletions based on user registrations.

The agency’s explanation and next steps

Kemp told the interviewer that the DROP system is funded by data brokers through a registration fee, not by taxpayers, and that roughly 600 data brokers have signed up for the registry. “The DROP system is funded by data brokers that pay a registration fee,” Kemp said. He said the platform reduces the time burden for consumers: instead of contacting hundreds of companies — a process that could take days — users typically spend “about 5 or 6 minutes, validate that you’re a Californian… hit the submit button,” Kemp said.

Security and matching process

Kemp said users must provide only basic identifying information and that submissions are stored “in a secure, encrypted manner.” He described a matching process in which brokers encrypt their own records and compare them to the encrypted DROP submissions; “only if there’s a match, then they’ll actually delete the information,” he said. Kemp said this matching is designed so brokers cannot learn who submitted the request.

Enforcement and penalties

Kemp said the agency expects to enforce compliance and warned of monetary penalties for brokers that fail to delete data. He said registered brokers that do not follow through face fines of $200 per day per affected Californian and that the agency will act to ensure compliance. Kemp characterized the agency’s posture as aggressive on enforcement.

Public outreach and expected effects

Kemp said the agency is publicizing DROP through a road show and community events, including an appearance at a Juneteenth run. He said widespread use of DROP should reduce unwanted marketing messages and lower the risk of identity fraud because hackers often rely on data collected and sold by brokers.

How to use DROP

Kemp gave the agency website for the platform as privacy.ca.gov/drop and urged Californians to visit the site to register and submit deletion requests. He emphasized the agency’s view that the tool makes it substantially easier for Californians to seek removal of their personal data from multiple brokers at once.

What the transcript shows and limits on verification

The account above reflects statements by Tom Kemp in the interview. Some numerical phrasing in the transcript is unclear; Kemp clearly cited a $200-per-day statutory fine per affected Californian but an immediately following dollar‑figure in the transcript is garbled. The article reports the $200-per-day figure as stated on the record and describes the larger aggregate sums only as the agency portrayed them in the interview.