Penalty Amount
$69,800
The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) settled with data brokers Growbots, Inc. and UpLead LLC for failing to register and pay annual fees under the California Delete Act. Growbots paid $35,400 and UpLead paid $34,400, and both agreed to injunctive terms including payment of attorney fees for non-compliance. This action enforces the Delete Act's requirements for data broker transparency and consumer privacy.
The companies must pay the specified fines and comply with injunctive terms that require adherence to the Delete Act and payment of the Enforcement Division's attorney fees if future non-compliance occurs.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor, customer, and data processing agreements with entities classified as data brokers under California law. Specifically scrutinize clauses addressing: (1) registration and fee payment obligations under the California Delete Act; (2) compliance with statutory deadlines and reporting requirements; (3) injunctive relief and attorney fee shifting provisions for non-compliance; and (4) obligations related to consumer deletion requests via the Data Broker Requests and Opt-Out Platform (DROP). Agreements may need amendments to explicitly mandate Delete Act registration, annual fee responsibility, and cooperation with DROP, while also allocating costs for enforcement actions and attorney fees.
Entity
Growbots, Inc. and UpLead LLC
Also known as: Growbots and UpLead
Industry
Data BrokerCalPrivacy (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.