• Take Action •
Under California law you have the right to make companies delete your personal data. Most people never use it. Here's exactly how — platform by platform.
By [Your Name] · February 2026 · 8 min read
The Right to Delete lets you demand a company erase your personal information. Under California law, they have 45 days to comply. Here's how to actually use it on the platforms you use most.
Instagram: Settings → Account Center → Your information and permissions → Download your information.
Visit facebook.com/help/contact/540977946302970 to request deletion of your account and associated data.
Settings → Ads → Ad preferences → turn off activity-based advertising. Then visit facebook.com/off-facebook-activity to clear off-platform tracking.
Settings → Privacy → Personalization and Data → scroll to "Request data deletion."
You can request deletion of your account or specific data types. TikTok will verify your identity via email or phone.
Data & Privacy → Delete a Google service, or "Delete your Google Account" to delete everything.
Visit support.google.com/accounts and search "CCPA data deletion request" for Google's dedicated California privacy form.
Data brokers like Spokeo and BeenVerified build profiles on you without you ever interacting with them. The CPPA's official data broker registry at cppa.ca.gov/databrokersregistry lists every company required to honor your deletion requests.
Companies have 45 days to process your request and must confirm when deletion is complete. If a company fails to respond, file a complaint at cppa.ca.gov or oag.ca.gov.