Californians can now use a government website to request that certain companies stop selling their personal information online. The Drop website, which stands for the “Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform”, launched on New Year’s Day as part of a state law aimed at enhancing data privacy.
The Drop tool sends a mass deletion request to 500 data brokers, the term for companies which collect and sell personal information gleaned from public records, phone data, online web browsing and a host of other activities. The information, which can be highly detailed and can be taken without user consent, is widely available for purchase on data brokers’ sites.
