California’s Delete Act Now in Effect: What It Means for Shasta County Residents
- Kari Chilson
- Aug 2
- 2 min read
California’s Delete Act (SB 362), authored by State Sen. Josh Becker and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2023, officially requires data brokers to start processing deletion requests as of August 1, 2026.
This law created a free, one-stop tool called the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP). It lets any California resident tell hundreds of data brokers (companies that buy and sell personal information without a direct relationship with you) to delete your data and stop selling or sharing new information about you.
Where to Sign Up
Go directly to this official website to submit your free deletion request:
That is the official California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) page.
You can also type privacy.ca.gov/drop into your browser or search for “California DROP” and click the official privacy.ca.gov link.
The process takes just a few minutes and works on a computer or smartphone. It involves three simple steps:
Verify that you are a California resident (using the California Identity Gateway or Login.gov).
Create a basic profile with information such as your name (including previous names), date of birth, ZIP code, email, phone number, and optionally mobile advertising IDs or other identifiers.
Submit your single request — it goes to all registered data brokers (currently more than 500–600).
You will receive a DROP ID after submitting so you can later check the status of your request.
What This Means for Shasta County Residents
The law applies equally to everyone living in California, including residents of Redding, Anderson, Shasta Lake, and the rest of the north state.
By submitting a request at privacy.ca.gov/drop, you gain ongoing protection: data brokers must delete matching personal information (including inferences) and continue deleting any new data they collect about you at least every 45 days. Non-compliance can result in significant daily fines.
Important limits: DROP only covers data held by data brokers. It does not force deletion of information you gave directly to a company, public records, or certain data protected by other laws (such as credit-reporting information under the Fair Credit Reporting Act).
Hundreds of thousands of Californians have already signed up. Even if you submit after August 1, your request will still be processed in the regular cycles.
Bottom line for north state residents: If you want data brokers to stop collecting and selling your personal information, go now to the official site:
That is the only place you need to visit to take advantage of the Delete Act.
