California legislature passes ‘Delete Act’ to protect consumer data

The new law promises to fill gaps left by the landmark California Consumer Protection Act, a 2018 law emulated by other states.

On Wednesday, the California legislature passed the “Delete Act,” a first-of-its-kind law that allows the state’s consumers to universally remove their personal data from all data brokers based in the state with a single request.

The Delete Act promises to create a “one-stop shop” website where residents can request that brokers of consumer personal data delete their information from their databases. The act builds on 2018’s California Consumer Protection Act, the standard-setting consumer data privacy law that set off a tidal wave of state-level, comprehensive data privacy legislation over the last several years. While the Delete Act closes some loopholes in the CCPA, some privacy advocates worry that it will lead to the collection and retainment of more personal data.