California's DROP changes everything
Starting January 1, 2026, the California Privacy Protection Agency's Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP) is live. Californians can submit a single request and every registered data broker must delete their personal data within 90 days, on a rolling basis starting August 1, 2026 (privacy.ca.gov/drop). The CPPA's Data Broker Registry currently lists over 500 brokers that must register between January 1 and January 31 each year. Coverage from CalMatters confirms the platform is operational (CalMatters, January 2026).
The Delete Act enforcement is real
The CPPA is not waiting for voluntary compliance. In February 2025, it forced the California-based broker Background Alert to cease operations through 2028 or face a $50,000 fine (CPPA enforcement announcement). Soon after it fined Florida-based Jerico Pictures / National Public Data. The agency launched a dedicated Data Broker Strike Force in 2026 (Crowell client alert).
Manual opt-outs that still matter
Outside California, you still opt out broker-by-broker. The top-priority targets: Spokeo, WhitePages, BeenVerified, MyLife, Intelius, Radaris, TruePeopleSearch, FastPeopleSearch, PeopleFinder, and PublicRecordsNow. Each has its own opt-out URL (search "[broker name] opt out"). Plan on 60-90 minutes for the top 10 sites; expect repopulation every 30-90 days. The DataGrail breakdown (DataGrail — Delete Act and DROP) walks through the legal framework in detail.
Google removal tools
Google's "Results about you" tool lets U.S. users request removal of search results that surface phone numbers, home addresses, or email addresses. It does not delete the underlying broker page — it just removes the Google result. Combine it with a broker opt-out for actual effect.
Court records — usually impossible to delete
Court records are a different beast. They are public records by statute, and only sealing/expungement (covered in our clearing-arrests article) removes them. Sites that aggregate court records sometimes will de-list a sealed case on request if you provide the sealing order. Always include the case number and the sealing-order date in the request.
Watch for scams
The FTC warns that scammers impersonate government agencies and "removal services" charging $100-300/month to delete records they cannot actually delete (FTC Consumer Advice — scams). If a service claims to remove court records, ask for the sealing-order docket number it filed. If they cannot produce one, they did not actually remove anything.