California Made It Easier to Delete Your Data — Why Everyone Should Pay Attention
California is expanding consumer privacy rights. Here's what the law does and how anyone can start removing personal information from the internet.
You've probably heard the saying, "What you post online is forever." But that is becoming less true as privacy laws give consumers more control over their personal information.
Earlier this year, California launched its Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), a first-of-its-kind tool that allows residents to submit a single request to have their personal information removed from hundreds of registered data brokers. The platform is the latest step in the state's broader effort to give consumers more control over how their data is collected, sold and shared online.
The shift comes at a time when concerns about online privacy are growing. From people-search websites to AI-powered data collection, personal information is easier to find than ever — and scammers are finding new ways to use that data against consumers.
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Your personal information is likely already online
While California's DELETE Act and DROP platform apply only to California residents, privacy advocates see them as part of a broader national trend toward stronger consumer privacy protections and greater transparency around personal data collection. California has often led the way on privacy regulations, and similar laws have been proposed or enacted in other states.
Connecticut recently expanded its own privacy protections, with Gov. Ned Lamont signing legislation that strengthens the state's consumer data privacy law. The measure gives residents additional rights over their personal information and places new restrictions on how companies collect, use and share data.
While it does not create a centralized deletion system like California's DROP platform, the law reflects a growing trend among states to give consumers more control over their digital footprint and hold companies more accountable for data practices.
The law also highlights a larger reality: personal information is collected, stored and shared on a massive scale. Even if you've never posted your address, phone number or other details online yourself, that information may already exist in databases maintained by data brokers, marketing firms and people-search websites.
Your personal information may already be online, thanks to technology and services that actively gather, store and share data, including:
- People-search sites: People-search sites, like Whitepages, pull data from public records, including voter registration and social media profiles. The sites store that information, so with a simple search, individuals may be able to access your mailing address, phone number, email address and more.
- Marketing databases: Marketing databases purchase information gathered from your app usage and online shopping activities. Then, these databases sell the information to brokers looking to target their advertising to consumers.
- Public records: Thanks to the internet, searching public records is easy. Individuals can look up personal information like your mortgage and deed documents, divorce proceedings, court cases and more.
- AI scraping: AI scraping, or using bots to extract data from websites, has made it even easier for sites to collect your digital data.
Why data privacy suddenly feels more urgent
Data privacy and being able to delete personal information feels more urgent today than ever before, and with good reason – cyberthreats use this information to target individuals with increasingly believable and deceptive scams.
AI scams use technology like deepfakes and voice cloning to create personalized and seemingly urgent situations to trick victims. For example, you might receive a call that seems to come from your daughter begging for financial help because she’s stranded while traveling or needs bail to get out of jail.
Scammers are also using AI to create targeted phishing and fraud attempts. The technology can create highly polished emails that are believable, since they incorporate personal information pulled from your social media or a data breach. These emails trick you into clicking a link that might trick you into sending money or infect your device with malware.
Phishing can also help scammers gather important personal information about you, and they may be able to use that information to trick your mobile carrier into transferring your phone number to a new SIM card that they own. The scammer can then access your calls and texts. Even more damaging, a scammer may be able to access accounts using your SMS multi-factor authentication, locking you out of those accounts and potentially stealing money and more information.
Your online personal information can do more damage than you might think, and criminals are finding new ways to use the information for theft.
How states are expanding consumer privacy rights
The United States does not have a single comprehensive federal privacy law. Instead, privacy protections are governed by a patchwork of federal, state and industry-specific regulations.
While federal laws cover certain types of data and organizations, such as healthcare providers and credit reporting agencies, states have increasingly taken the lead in expanding consumer privacy rights. California remains one of the most aggressive states in this area, but it is not alone. States including Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, Texas and Oregon have enacted comprehensive privacy laws that give consumers greater control over how companies collect, use and share personal information.
California has gone a step further with laws such as the California Consumer Privacy Act, the California Privacy Rights Act and the DELETE Act, which are designed to give consumers more visibility into and control over their personal data.
While privacy rights vary significantly by state, the overall trend is toward stronger consumer protections and greater accountability for companies that collect and sell personal information.
How to start removing your data from the internet
Even if your state lacks protections like the DELETE Act, there are still several steps that you can take to remove your data from the internet:
- Google yourself: Start with a Google search and see what information you find when you Google your name. Make a list of sites or information that you want to remove and consider contacting those sites individually to request to have your information removed.
- Opt out of people-search sites: If your Google search reveals listings on people-search sites, you can request to have your information removed from those sites. You’ll need to go to each site and find the opt-out request option, which is usually in the site’s footer. Submit that request and your information should be removed, though the amount of time before the information is deleted may vary.
- Remove unused accounts: Take the time to delete any unused accounts, like old email addresses, accounts with financial institutions you no longer use and old social media accounts. Deleting the accounts can help prevent hackers from being able to access your information.
- Turn on multifactor authentication: Make sure to turn on multifactor authentication for all of your accounts when it’s available. This is particularly true for financial accounts, email addresses, shopping accounts and any other accounts a hacker could use to access sensitive information. Multi-factor authentication is a simple and user-friendly way to significantly boost your security and keep your account safe.
- Freeze your credit: If you haven’t done so already, freeze your credit with all three credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You’ll need to freeze your credit with each bureau individually, and you can temporarily unfreeze your credit whenever you need to apply for a mortgage, loan, new credit card or other form of credit. Scammers won’t be able to open a new credit line while the freeze is active.
- Review privacy settings: Review the privacy settings on your accounts. Privacy settings on apps may allow your device to track your behavior while using your phone, while privacy settings in social media may expose more information than you want the public to be able to access. Take the time to review your settings and make sure you’re limiting tracking and restricting information that’s shared publicly.
Should you pay for a data removal service?
Services like DeleteMe and Incogni scan the internet for your information and then file removal requests on your behalf. They may save you time compared to the process of manually opting out of search sites, but their results may also be limited.
According to CNET, since data brokers share and sell data, it’s possible that your information will keep being shared. Plus, data removal services can’t legally delete public records and they can’t remove information that you’ve posted on social media, so data brokers may continue to scrape and share your data.
Paying for a data removal service may help save time by automating the process of finding and submitting opt-out requests to data brokers and people-search sites. While no service can completely erase your online footprint, ongoing monitoring can help keep personal information from reappearing as data is resold and shared among brokers.
If protecting your privacy is a priority, the recurring cost may be worth the added convenience and peace of mind. Before subscribing, consider the service's cost, the types of information it can remove and whether the benefits align with your privacy goals.
Can you really erase your information from the internet?
Protecting your privacy online is no longer just about limiting what you share on social media. Personal information is collected, stored and sold through a complex network of data brokers, websites and online services, often without your knowledge.
Whether you choose to submit removal requests yourself, use a data removal service or simply tighten your privacy settings, taking steps to reduce your digital footprint can help limit your exposure to scams, identity theft and unwanted tracking.
The internet may never completely forget, but you now have more tools to decide what information about you remains online.
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