Penalty Amount
$45,000
Datamasters, a data broker, failed to register with the California Data Broker Registry as required by the Delete Act. The company sold sensitive personal information including health conditions, age, race, and political views. As a result, it must pay a $45,000 fine and cease all sales of Californians' personal information.
Datamasters must pay a $45,000 civil penalty and is permanently enjoined from selling any personal information of California residents.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor, customer, and data processing agreements where personal information is shared, sold, or processed for targeted advertising. Focus on clauses governing data sharing, consent for sensitive data (including health conditions, age, race, and political views), breach notification, data retention, and compliance with jurisdiction-specific laws like the California Delete Act. Changes may be needed to require counterparties to certify data broker registration where applicable, prohibit the resale of sensitive personal information without explicit consent and proper registration, and incorporate mechanisms for honoring consumer deletion requests under laws like the Delete Act. Agreements should also clarify responsibilities for data security and impose penalties for non-compliance with registration and sales prohibitions.
Entity
Rickenbacher Data LLC, d/b/a Datamasters
Also known as: Datamasters
Industry
Data BrokerOfficial Press Release
https://privacy.ca.gov/2026/01/calprivacy-brings-new-round-of-enforcement-actions-against-data-brokers/
datamasters order signed
https://privacy.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/357/2026/01/datamasters_order_signed.pdf
California Privacy Protection Agency Enforcement Page
https://cppa.ca.gov/enforcement/
CalPrivacy (the California Privacy Protection Agency) issued Enforcement Advisory 2026-01 warning data brokers that providing incorrect information in their annual registration with California's data broker registry carries liability of a $200 fine per day. The advisory observes that the Enforcement Division has already brought multiple enforcement actions over reporting errors, and emphasizes that accurate registry disclosures are what make the newly launched Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP) work for Californians. No specific company was named and no penalty was imposed by the advisory itself; it functions as forward-looking guidance.
$36K
The California Privacy Protection Agency Board issued a Decision and Final Stipulated Order requiring Virginia-based data broker SalesIntel Research, Inc. to pay a $36,400 fine for operating as a data broker without registering by the 2025 deadline under the Delete Act. SalesIntel sells consumer personal information, including more than 200 million professional contacts and de-anonymized website traffic data, for targeted advertising. In addition to the fine, the company must post privacy rights metrics on its website, integrate with CalPrivacy's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP), and process future deletion requests through that system.
The California Privacy Protection Agency announced that more than 500,000 Californians have registered for the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) since its January 1, 2026 launch. After the August 1, 2026 deadline for brokers to begin processing requests, 654 data brokers are in the system and approximately 25% have reported processing deletion requests, with tens of millions of records already deleted. No enforcement action has been announced yet; the agency warned that brokers who fail to delete eligible personal information face significant fines.
$52K
The California Privacy Protection Agency Board issued an Order of Decision and Stipulated Final Order requiring Boston-based data broker Cybba, Inc. to pay a $52,400 fine for failing to register with the Agency's Data Broker Registry by the 2025 deadline, as required by the Delete Act. The order also requires Cybba to post metrics about privacy rights on its website, access the Agency's Delete Request and Opt-Out Platform (DROP), and process future deletion requests through that system. This is CalPrivacy's second data broker enforcement action announced in less than a week, following its action against LocateSmarter.
$116K
The California Privacy Protection Agency Board issued a decision and stipulated order requiring Iowa data broker LocateSmarter LLC to pay $116,490 and change its practices. The company failed to timely register as a data broker and unlawfully required Californians to provide the last four digits of their Social Security numbers before exercising opt-out rights, violating the CCPA's data minimization requirements. This is the first action against a data broker under both the CCPA and the Delete Act.
The California Privacy Protection Agency announced that over 300,000 Californians have signed up for the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) since its launch five months ago. The Data Broker Registry now includes 581 registered data brokers, the highest number since the registry was established in 2020. Beginning August 1, 2026, all data brokers will be required to access DROP and process deletion requests.