The Nation's Strictest Privacy Law Goes Into Effect (arstechnica.com)
(Monday January 05, 2026 @10:30PM (BeauHD)
from the data-deletion-made-easy dept.)
- Reference: 0180520615
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/01/05/2323220/the-nations-strictest-privacy-law-goes-into-effect
- Source link: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/data-broker-hoarding-is-rampant-new-law-lets-consumers-fight-back/
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica:
> Californians are getting a new, supercharged way to stop data brokers from hoarding and selling their personal information, as a recently enacted law that's among the strictest in the nation [1]took effect at the beginning of the year . [...] Two years ago, [2]California's Delete Act took effect. It required data brokers to provide residents with a means to obtain a copy of all data pertaining to them and to demand that such information be deleted. Unfortunately, Consumer Watchdog found that only 1 percent of Californians exercised these rights in the first 12 months after the law went into effect. A chief reason: Residents were required to file a separate demand with each broker. With hundreds of companies selling data, the burden was too onerous for most residents to take on.
>
> On January 1, a new law known as [3]DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform) took effect. DROP allows California residents to register a single demand for their data to be deleted and no longer collected in the future. CalPrivacy then forwards it to all brokers. Starting in August, brokers will have 45 days after receiving the notice to report the status of each deletion request. If any of the brokers' records match the information in the demand, all associated data -- including inferences -- must be deleted unless legal exemptions such as information provided during one-to-one interactions between the individual and the broker apply. To use DROP, individuals [4]must first prove they're a California resident.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/data-broker-hoarding-is-rampant-new-law-lets-consumers-fight-back/
[2] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/23/04/24/225214/delete-act-seeks-to-give-californians-more-power-to-block-data-tracking
[3] https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/
[4] https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/
> Californians are getting a new, supercharged way to stop data brokers from hoarding and selling their personal information, as a recently enacted law that's among the strictest in the nation [1]took effect at the beginning of the year . [...] Two years ago, [2]California's Delete Act took effect. It required data brokers to provide residents with a means to obtain a copy of all data pertaining to them and to demand that such information be deleted. Unfortunately, Consumer Watchdog found that only 1 percent of Californians exercised these rights in the first 12 months after the law went into effect. A chief reason: Residents were required to file a separate demand with each broker. With hundreds of companies selling data, the burden was too onerous for most residents to take on.
>
> On January 1, a new law known as [3]DROP (Delete Request and Opt-out Platform) took effect. DROP allows California residents to register a single demand for their data to be deleted and no longer collected in the future. CalPrivacy then forwards it to all brokers. Starting in August, brokers will have 45 days after receiving the notice to report the status of each deletion request. If any of the brokers' records match the information in the demand, all associated data -- including inferences -- must be deleted unless legal exemptions such as information provided during one-to-one interactions between the individual and the broker apply. To use DROP, individuals [4]must first prove they're a California resident.
[1] https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/data-broker-hoarding-is-rampant-new-law-lets-consumers-fight-back/
[2] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/23/04/24/225214/delete-act-seeks-to-give-californians-more-power-to-block-data-tracking
[3] https://privacy.ca.gov/drop/
[4] https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/
Needed (Score:3)
by RitchCraft ( 6454710 )
This sounds like something that the entire nation needs. Let's get on that.
Re: woke politics (Score:2)
by Slashythenkilly ( 7027842 )
Anonymous Coward 6 hours ago This is a democratic republic and the government works for YOU, the People. That we the People aren't taking control of government and your kind spends time pointing blame at a vague villain you call "government" just shows how little we deserve liberty.
Thank you California! (Score:4, Insightful)
This is fantastic, and is one step closer to my ultimate desired outcome: make the purchase and sale of user data illegal. So much of the decline of the web can be pinned on the collection, misuse, purchase, and sale of user data.
Re: Thank you California! (Score:2)
I also see that opt out shall be the default and only intentional opt in shall be permitted for data collection.