Broker-oriented overview. Confirm every duty with counsel and CalPrivacy’s current pages. This is not legal advice.
Short answer
DROP — the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform — is California’s accessible deletion mechanism for registered data brokers under the Delete Act. California residents submit one deletion request through the state. Registered data brokers must access DROP, download hashed consumer deletion lists, match and process them in their own systems, direct service providers and contractors as required, and report status back in DROP.
Sources: DROP for data brokers, Processing DROP requests, CPPA DROP regulations page.
Who it is for
CalPrivacy’s broker materials say a data broker is 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. The broker page cites Civ. Code § 1798.99.80(c).
If you are on the California data broker registry, or counsel says you belong there, DROP is the processing channel those materials describe for these statewide deletion requests. It is not a consumer marketing tool, and it is not Drop Ledger.
What brokers do in a cycle
CalPrivacy’s process overview, as published on the pages linked above:
- Download consumer deletion lists.
- Standardize and hash your own records.
- Match and process.
- Report status.
- Repeat at least once every 45 days. That is today’s published cadence.
Beginning August 1, 2026, those materials say brokers must begin processing DROP requests on that cadence. With AB 883, CalPrivacy states brokers will be required to process at least once every 30 days effective January 1, 2027.
Sources: DROP for data brokers, Processing DROP requests.
Service providers and contractors
When you find a match, CalPrivacy’s processing page says you must delete non-exempt personal information and direct all service providers and contractors to delete matching records, or opt out of sale or sharing in the multi-consumer identifier case.
That direction-and-documentation work is separate from hashing and matching. A desk can use a matcher and still need a separate place to track vendor asks.
Consumer and broker views
Consumers use DROP to submit requests and check status with a DROP ID. Brokers use DROP accounts, fees and registration when applicable, list downloads, and status reporting. Do not confuse the consumer portal login with a broker operations desk.
Consumer explainer: DROP Data Broker Deletions, How Do They Work? · DROP FAQ
Where Drop Ledger fits
Drop Ledger helps a small broker organize vendor asks, acknowledgments, a reminder queue on the Evidence and Ops desks, and an evidence file for each window. It does not access DROP, hash lists, delete records, or give legal advice.