Data Broker Deletion Rights by State (2026)
Your right to make a data broker delete your information depends heavily on where you live. As of mid-2026, 20 states have comprehensive consumer privacy laws, four run data-broker registries, and exactly one — California — has a live one-stop deletion tool. Here's the full map, and how to use whatever rights you have.
Two different kinds of rights (this trips everyone up)
1. Comprehensive privacy laws → a "right to delete." Twenty states now have broad consumer privacy laws, and 19 of them give residents the right to ask a business to delete their personal data. The catch: these laws have size thresholds and exemptions, and historically the right to delete was easiest to exercise against a business you had a direct relationship with. Reaching a data broker you've never heard of — one by one — is still work.
2. Data-broker-specific laws → registries and one-stop deletion. A few states go further and require data brokers to register with the state, and California (with Connecticut following) adds a single mechanism to delete from all of them at once. This is the tool that actually targets the broker problem head-on.
The best-protected residents (California) have both. Most states have the first, some have neither.
Summary table
| State | Comprehensive privacy law (effective) | Right to delete | Broker registry | One-stop (DROP-style) deletion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | CCPA/CPRA (2020 / 2023) | Yes | Yes | Live — DROP (brokers comply Aug 1, 2026) |
| Colorado | CPA (Jul 2023) | Yes | No | — |
| Connecticut | CTDPA (Jul 2023) | Yes | Yes (from Jan 1, 2027) | Coming by Jul 1, 2028 |
| Delaware | DPDPA (Jan 2025) | Yes | No | — |
| Florida | FDBR (Jul 2024) | Yes | No | — |
| Indiana | INCDPA (Jan 2026) | Yes | No | — |
| Iowa | ICDPA (Jan 2025) | No delete right | No | — |
| Kentucky | KCDPA (Jan 2026) | Yes | No | — |
| Maryland | MODPA (Oct 2025) | Yes | No | — |
| Minnesota | MCDPA (Jul 2025) | Yes | No | — |
| Montana | MCDPA (Oct 2024) | Yes | No | — |
| Nebraska | NDPA (Jan 2025) | Yes | No | — |
| New Hampshire | NH Privacy Act (Jan 2025) | Yes | No | — |
| New Jersey | NJDPA (Jan 2025) | Yes | No | — |
| Oregon | OCPA (Jul 2024) | Yes | Yes | — |
| Rhode Island | RIDTPPA (Jan 2026) | Yes | No | — |
| Tennessee | TIPA (Jul 2025) | Yes | No | — |
| Texas | TDPSA (Jul 2024) | Yes | Yes | — |
| Utah | UCPA (Dec 2023) | Yes | No | — |
| Vermont | None (comprehensive) | Broker-registry only | Yes | Under study (H.211, not enacted) |
| Virginia | VCDPA (Jan 2023) | Yes | No | — |
The other ~30 states have no comprehensive consumer privacy law as of mid-2026. Residents there rely on direct broker opt-outs and federal protections.
The states worth calling out
California — the gold standard. Residents get the full stack: a right to delete (CCPA/CPRA), a data-broker registry, and DROP, the only live one-stop tool that deletes you from every registered broker with a single request (brokers must comply starting August 1, 2026). See our California DROP guide.
Connecticut — next in line. Connecticut's 2026 law (Public Act 26-64) builds a data-broker registry starting January 1, 2027 and requires a California-style centralized deletion mechanism by July 1, 2028. Until then, Connecticut residents use the CTDPA's standard right to delete.
Texas & Oregon — registries, but no one-stop tool. Both require data brokers to register with the state and both give residents a right to delete — but there's no single "delete from everyone" button, so you still file requests broker by broker.
Vermont — the odd one out. Vermont has a data-broker registry but no comprehensive consumer privacy law, so there's no general right to delete, and its one-stop-deletion bill (H.211) hasn't been enacted — only a feasibility study is required.
Iowa — the weakest. Iowa's law is the only one of the 20 that does not grant a right to delete. Iowans have very limited leverage against brokers.
How to actually use your rights
- Find your listings. Search yourself on the major people-search sites and copy each profile URL — or run a free scan.
- If you're in California: use DROP for broad coverage, then clean up the biggest sites directly.
- If your state has a privacy law with a delete right: submit deletion / "do not sell or share" requests to the brokers directly — most honor these through their standard opt-out forms. Citing your state law adds weight.
- If your state has no law: you still have the brokers' own opt-out processes, which are open to everyone regardless of state. Start with our opt-out guides.
- Re-check regularly. No law makes removal permanent — brokers rebuild from public records.
The honest caveat
Even the strongest state law only reaches registered or covered businesses, has exemptions (data covered by the FCRA, GLBA, etc.), and protects only that state's residents. Laws are leverage, not a delete button — and none of them stop your data from coming back. Direct opt-outs plus ongoing monitoring are still the practical backbone of staying off these sites.
FAQ
- Which states let you delete your data from brokers most easily?
- California, by far — it's the only state with a live one-stop deletion tool (DROP). Connecticut is building one for 2028.
- Do these laws cover me if I move or travel?
- State privacy laws protect residents of that state. Your rights follow your residency, not the broker's location.
- No law in my state — am I stuck?
- No. Every major broker offers a free opt-out to anyone. Our broker guides walk you through each.
Last verified: July 2026. Broker opt-out processes change often — confirm the current steps on the live page before relying on them.
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