Privacy Laws That Give You Rights
No single law lets every American delete their data everywhere. A patchwork of federal and state laws, used together, goes a long way.
Federal laws
| Law | What it does | Who it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) | Regulates consumer reporting agencies; gives rights to see your file, dispute inaccuracies, freeze your credit, and place alerts | Everyone, including service members with active duty alerts |
| Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA, 1994) | Restricts disclosure of personal information from state motor vehicle records except for permitted purposes | Everyone |
| Protecting Americans' Data from Foreign Adversaries Act (2024) | Prohibits data brokers from providing sensitive data about Americans, including Armed Forces status, to foreign adversaries; enforced by the FTC | Everyone, especially service members |
| Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act (2022) | Protects federal judges' personal information from data brokers and allows redaction on federal websites | Federal judges and their families |
State comprehensive privacy laws
A growing number of states have enacted comprehensive consumer privacy laws. Typical rights include the right to know what data a business holds, the right to delete it, and the right to opt out of its sale or use for targeted advertising. Each law has its own thresholds and exemptions; many do not apply to publicly available information or to data already regulated by federal laws such as FCRA. Check the law in your state of residence.
California: the Delete Act and DROP
California's Delete Act, Senate Bill 362, signed in October 2023, created the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), run by the California Privacy Protection Agency.
- The platform opened to consumers on January 1, 2026.
- Registered data brokers were required to begin processing requests from August 1, 2026.
- Once a request is made, brokers must delete the consumer's personal information and continue to do so on a recurring basis, every 45 days.
For California residents, DROP is the single most efficient removal tool available.
Using the laws together
When writing to a company, cite the laws that apply to it and to you, ask for deletion, opt-out, and suppression, and request written confirmation. If a company ignores a valid request, you can complain to your state attorney general or to the Federal Trade Commission. Keep your documentation.