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The Delete Act
- weaksauce 9mo agoI wonder how well this will work without other the states not being in on it and what other unintended consequences this may bring. sounds like a good start though.
- RiverCrochet 9mo agoIf a data-collecting company doesn't do business in California, that tells me a lot.
- ofalkaed 9mo agoOne of the ways federal legislation gets passed is by state's passing their own laws, eventually industry gets fed up with having to comply with a dozen or more variations of the same law and starts harassing congress to take care of it.
- userbinator 9mo agowhat other unintended consequences this may bring. A "right to rewrite history" that will distort reality for historians in the future. How did HN become effectively pro-DRM?
- amanaplanacanal 9mo agoHow do you see that working?
- Swizec 9mo ago> without other the states not being in on it California represents 12% of USA population, 14% of US GDP. Effectively that means CA can throw its weight around and companies are forced to at least pretend to comply. Whether they actually comply depends on enforcement. Now if Delaware were to adopt such a law for every company “headquartered” there …
- sonu27 9mo agoSounds similar to GDPR here in Europe.
- oaiey 9mo agoThey adopted gdpr some years ago. This goes further and creates infrastructure to delete records at scale. I hope this is good and turns global. We need this, because consent banners do not work.
- scsh 9mo agoThe GDPR lets someone request deletion of their data and there are legal teeth to force a business to comply, but that's 1:1. Maybe I need to dig deeper, but this specifically applies to data brokers it seems. That's great and it being a one to many request is fantastic, but sounds like it may not apply to just anyone who has data on you like the GDPR...
- petcat 9mo ago> They adopted gdpr some years ago. The CCPA is far better than the GDPR. For one, they actually managed to make an effective privacy law that didn't have the knock-on effect of polluting the entire internet with pointless cookie banners. The EU is already making moves to scrap huge parts of their misguided privacy regulations and adopt rules more like what California did with the CCPA. California lawmakers "adopted the GDPR" only insofar as they studied it to learn what not to do.
- WickyNilliams 9mo agoFYI, it was the ePrivacy Directive that brought about the cookie banners, not GDPR
- WD-42 9mo agoThere’s a link to submit a DROP request at the bottom of the page. Is this live? I want to sign up. Unfortunately following the link results in an infinite redirect.
- toomuchtodo 9mo agoIt's not live yet (https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/coming-soon.html https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/coming-soon.html), you can subscribe to email updates (https://cppa.ca.gov/webapplications/apps/subscribe/ https://cppa.ca.gov/webapplications/apps/subscribe/).
- toomuchtodo 9mo agoIt’s now live. https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/ https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/
- varenc 9mo agoPer the timeline, the DROP service is supposed to be live by August 1, 2026.
- temp0826 9mo agoYou can submit your request now. They aren't processing requests until August.
- socalgal2 9mo agoOnly tangentially releated but I thought the EU required that you can delete selective data. Example: Being able to delete a single email vs having to delete all emails. And yet, Gemini does not seem to let me delete queries. This is unusual for Google who provides ways to delete pretty much all data on selective basis. Maybe I just can't find the option. Or maybe this option only exists if I'm in the EU
- scsh 9mo agoThe gist of the GDPR in that respect is it allows someone to request a record of what data a particular business has gathered about them as well as request deletion of that data. It also introduced a lot of restrictions around what can be done with a particular subject's data, like sharing with third parties.
- firesteelrain 9mo agoSounds an awful like The Right to be Forgotten under GPDR Article 17
- scsh 9mo agoAbsolutely. What sound pretty cool, and different, here is CalPrivacy would be required to build a request mechanism that's one request sent to every data broker.
- mikestorrent 9mo agoDare I ask, what happens to data brokers that don't care about Californian laws? Must be many such instances operating from outside the USA?
- scsh 9mo agoThey open themselves up to a lot of risk, but more likely they only comply when CA residents are concerned or stop collecting for CA residents. Good question about outside the USA. Makes me wonder if there may end up being some sort of data broker safe havens setup, like we've seen with banking.
- ofalkaed 9mo agoCalifornia will take them to court and/or block them from doing business in the state, have various ways to penalize them, etc. California is big enough that many will want to play game with them and having a state as powerful as California on board will get other states to jump on board and pass their own legislation and take up the same tactics with non-complying companies. Once it gets enough traction at the state level, the fed will step in because this will affect interstate commerce and that is federal jurisdiction. This is how state sovereignty works, it is not that states can do as they please, they can only do it up until the point it affects other states or crosses the line with federal law.
- userbinator 9mo agoMore like The Right to Rewrite History
- varenc 9mo agoExcited to see this! Because completing the CCPA "delete my data" process for 300+ data brokers just isn't feasible. Though I wonder what the second order effects of this might be. Imagine a service that vets tenants for landlords. If I've had all my data deleted, might I start failing background checks because the sketchy data brokers have no records of me? I fear a future where the complete absence of my data leads to bad side effects.
- satvikpendem 9mo agoIt's the same as credit checks, I know people who no credit (because they don't own a credit card) get denied housing for rent.
- deleted 9mo ago[deleted]
- arpinum 9mo agoNot all data brokers are sketchy, some are very good. Data brokers help assess who is creditworthy and lowers rates for more trustworthy people, and allow the creation of more specialty lending products.
- breadwinner 9mo agoAre Experian, Transunion and Equifax included in the one-click deletion?
- varenc 9mo agoThey don't let you delete credit history data unless it's incorrect. But you can freeze it.
- amelius 9mo agoWell they should have found a more transparent way to run their business, so they are still sketchy to me.
- dafelst 9mo ago
- UpstairsEmpire 9mo ago[flagged]
- metabagel 9mo agoIs Facebook a data broker? Reddit? Google?
- Aurornis 9mo agoThey define data broker as someone who collects and sells your data. Companies like Facebook and Google do not sell data they collect, contrary to what a lot of people assume. The page refers to 500 data brokers, but I’d like to find the complete list they use.
- weli 9mo agoGoogle does "sell" your data to other Alphabet companies except they call it "partnership" or "strategic sharing" and it should be completely illegal and be called data brokerage too. Same with Meta. There is a reason the FTC and DOJ force this companies to break up, except they have hordes of lawyers and the law will always be catching up to reality so it doesn't do much in this day and age.
- Aurornis 9mo ago> Google does "sell" your data to other Alphabet companies That doesn't match the definition of data broker. It's also a huge stretch, as many companies have subsidiaries and different divisions that are separate legal structures.
- throwup238 9mo ago> 1798.99.80. (c) “Data broker” means a business that knowingly collects and sells to third parties the personal information of a consumer with whom the business does not have a direct relationship. [1] If you want to be both obtuse and pedantic about it, the answer is yes to all three. [1] https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB362/id/2845350 https://legiscan.com/CA/text/SB362/id/2845350
- amelius 9mo agoIt would be unexpected if signing the form meant that your gmail is deleted and your facebook account is closed.
- UpstairsEmpire 9mo agoThis is the kind of thing the federal goverment would be doing if it gave a shit about its people.
- smurda 9mo agoWhen the CCPA launched in 2018 companies had to comply when a consumer requested a Data Subject Access Request (DSAR). Because the consumer had to request a DSAR not all companies felt this compliance pain acutely (e.g. it was mostly big companies with A LOT of users that got more DSARs, so they adopted workflows and tools to alleviate the pain). The Delete Act has more teeth. Independent compliance audits begin in 2028 with penalties of $200 per day for failing to register or for each consumer deletion request that is not honored. GDPR spurred organizations to compliance, partly because of the steep penalty (up to €20 million or 4% of revenue, whichever is higher), maybe The Delete Act (and its much smaller penalty) will also spark organizations to comply.
- nineteen999 9mo agoCan only hope this spreads like wildfire throughout the world.
- Meneth 9mo agoI suppose that these records of personal data does not constitute "speech" in a First Amendment context?
- EGreg 9mo agoI don't know why this is downvoted, it's a great question. 1st Amendment: Congress shall make No Law 14th Amendment: Due process... incorporate the Bill of Rights against the states I often wondered whether the next case after MacDonald vs Chicago and Heller would do the same for the 2nd amendment, i.e. wipe away the ability of cities to require gun licensing and registration.
- sigwinch 9mo agoThat’s right, and haven’t for a long time.
- Antwan 9mo agoData brokers made in California can now wreck all the world but California.
- nrhrjrjrjtntbt 9mo ago< Red Hot Chilli Peppers Song > Yes only CA residents can use this.
- DrewADesign 9mo agoMaybe there should be some kind of annual ISO privacy certification for companies that resell any customer data in any form. Then make data customers (e.g. marketing agencies, major retailers) and data collectors (e.g. those that collect telemetry data from libraries included in their app, auto manufacturers, wireless providers) civilly liable for any privacy violations dealing with uncertified brokers, making sure there’s an uncapped modifier based on the company’s annual revenue. That seems like it puts the bulk of the compliance responsibility on the parties that can do the most wide-scale damage with unethical and dodgy practices, while leaving some out there for others that need incentive to not ignore the rules. Haven’t really thought this through and I’m not a policy wonk… just spitballin’.
- JumpCrisscross 9mo ago> Maybe there should be some kind of annual ISO privacy certification for companies that resell any customer data in any form Why is this better than requiring deletion?
- dredmorbius 9mo agoFor starters, it provides protection and accountability for those who don't have the prior presence of mind to demand deletion. An act which mandated deletion in all cases for data once business needs are addressed (often 30--90 days for much data), might address your question. But the Delete Act isn't that.
- JumpCrisscross 9mo ago> it provides protection and accountability for those who don't have the prior presence of mind to demand deletion Perhaps. I just see another compliance-industrial tax on consumers backed up by a nonsense checklist. > act which mandated deletion in all cases for data once business needs are addressed (often 30--90 days for much data), might address your question Or opt out by default. Perhaps California should give counties the power to do that. Then we can watch the experiment for unintended consequences.
- doodlebugging 9mo agoAccording to that page Texas also requires data brokers to register. As a Texan it seems unlikely that they do this to protect consumers. It feels more like they want to know who their market is as they surveil their citizens and rake in as much moola as possible. Identifying which broker will pay the highest premiums for real-time information about Texans' travel from license plate and traffic cameras, which businesses they visit, etc will allow them to get sweet kickbacks from the industry lobbyists who can openly pass around envelopes of cash on the floor of the legislature.
- ProllyInfamous 9mo ago>information about Texans' travel from license plate and traffic cameras, which businesses they visit Texas is already doing this to track women seeking out-of-state healthcare. Whatever "side" you're on (for that argument): THIS. IS. WRONG. In addition to ditching your cell phone, consider ditching Texas, too (as a Native™, I did so almost a decade ago). Still toying with the idea of expatriation, but honestly I feel too old for that, now =P ---- We seem to have a lot in common, fellow retired Xeon user. My PO Box is in my profile.
- wat10000 9mo agoI’m pretty sure the “abortion is murder” side will not consider it wrong to track women who travel out of state to, as they see it, murder a baby.
- ProllyInfamous 9mo agoI just wish this pro-birth crowd were actually pro-life (e.g. child care, health care, education). It seems mostly all they actually want is replacement slaves, chattel.
- W0lfEagle 9mo agoRight? Pro-birth pro-guns.
- 9mo ago
- iwontberude 9mo agoCalifornia is a real country, United States is a joke
- petesergeant 9mo ago> one of four states (also Oregon, *Texas*, and Vermont) who require data broker registration. This does feel like an area where there could be useful bipartisan agreement if packaged properly.
- nee1r 9mo agoglad the timelines are short and hope its user friendly
- guessmyname 9mo agohmm (thinking) infinite loop, eh? $ curl -i -A - 'https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/maintenance.html' HTTP/2 307 content-type: text/html location: https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/coming-soon.html date: Thu, 01 Jan 2026 02:22:37 GMT […] $ curl -i -A - 'https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/coming-soon.html' HTTP/2 307 content-type: text/html location: https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/maintenance.html date: Thu, 01 Jan 2026 02:22:46 GMT […]
- tylerchilds 9mo agoThis is a great first step, but I’m actually interested in 1. Getting a list of everyone that bought my records from data brokers 2. Reverse record linking to know who joined me, when, where, and how Just deleting myself from 500 of these databases is a good start that’s decades over due. Time to flip the scripts.
- hackable_sand 9mo agoWord
- deleted 9mo ago[deleted]
- diogenescynic 9mo agoIt seems anti-free speech. If the same thing were done via physical media, would we still support this? I am definitely no fan of data brokers, but I also am no fan or suppressing speech. This seems like the equivalent of banning old phone books before the internet.
- owisd 9mo agoThe equivalent is that you could ask to be removed from the phone book.
- diogenescynic 9mo agoI guess, but even that I don't think I'd support making that a legal requirement. If it's public data I have no problem with it being searchable on the internet. I know that's not always convenient but I think to do anything different starts to set bad legal precedents which will not be in favor of the public.
- wdr1 9mo agoDoes this apply to political lists too? I know political calls/text are excluded from Do Not Call and hence I get a crap ton of political spam texts (most recently from "Adam Miller for Congress OH-15", despite never living in Ohio). I'd really, really like to remove myself from all these political lists.
- amanaplanacanal 9mo agoI've had that, though it was from a different state. Also recently started getting texts from some MAGA related organization, though I'm about as far from MAGA as it's possible to be. How does my number get on these lists, anyway?
- LexGray 9mo agoTypically pure spam not even from MAGA phishing cc info from the most gullible. Replying STOP usually does the trick. I think of it as the side effect of first amendment protections that people do not report it for what it is.
- Dwedit 9mo agoSaw the domain "ca.gov" and mistook it for Canada. Then wondered why it started mentioning California a lot.
- cormorant 9mo ago> Before submitting a deletion request, you will be required to verify you are a California “resident,” as defined in section 17014 of Title 18 of the California Code of Regulations as that section read on September 1, 2017. Verification is made with assistance from state contracted third-party vendors, including Socure and Login.gov, through the California Identity Gateway. -- https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/ https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/
- MetaWhirledPeas 9mo agoWow this is a huge negative. I wonder if this was necessary to make it workable, or if this was done to placate corporations.
- blobbers 9mo agoWent through all the rigamarole of texts and verifications and backup codes and was met with a: This auth.cdt.ca.gov page can’t be found -- blank page from Chrome. Imagine that, a government website that's broken. Wait, and I just put in all my personally identifiable info. Grrrrrreat.
- quinncom 9mo agoI get the same error today (13 days later). However, it seems to work if I just navigate directly to https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/ https://consumer.drop.privacy.ca.gov/ – I was able to submit my DROP request.