🗂 One request to delete yourself from data brokers? It's coming
Most people have never heard of data brokers, but these firms keep detailed files on them anyway: name, address, location history, purchases, relationships, all compiled and sold without anyone ever signing up. Until now, getting out meant opting out of each broker one by one, which almost nobody actually finishes.
The new part
California built a single front door for it. Under the Delete Act, the state's DROP platform lets residents send one deletion request through a central portal, and registered brokers must process it starting August 2026. One submission instead of chasing hundreds of companies on your own.
Before you get too excited
This is California-only for now, so it covers California residents and no one else yet. But these things travel: one state builds the tool, others copy it. Broker-registration laws are already popping up in places like Vermont and Texas, so a one-stop deletion model spreading further is a fair bet.
If you're not in California (or want to start now)
🔹 Opt out of the biggest brokers directly. The large ones all have request forms, even if they're buried.
🔹 A reputable removal service can do the legwork if doing it by hand feels endless. Check who you're handing that job to.
🔹 Slow the new data down: reset or delete your mobile ad ID, rein in location sharing, tighten app permissions.
Worth keeping straight: erasing old records and stopping new collection are two different jobs. Deletion handles what's already out there. Everyday habits, and a VPN keeping your real IP and location out of a lot of what gets logged, handle what comes next.
Stay protected,
🌍 Planet VPN
#privacy #databrokers #dataprivacy #deleteact #cybersecurity
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1July 16, 2026 1.7K 1
