Bill · H.R. 2612· House(119-HR-2612)
DELETE Act
- Introduced
- 4/2/2025
- Last activity
- 4/2/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Sponsored by
- Lori Trahan
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The DELETE Act aims to create a centralized system for individuals to request the simultaneous deletion of their personal information across all registered data brokers. Under this bill, data brokers would be required to register with the Federal Trade Commission and provide specific information about their data collection practices. The system would allow a single submission to trigger the deletion of personal information and stop future collection by registered brokers. To protect privacy, the system uses hashed registries to match deletion requests with broker records. Data brokers must access these registries at least every 31 days to process requests. The bill also establishes enforcement powers for the Commission and mandates periodic independent audits for compliance.
Yes· 3 of 6
Does this give people more control over their personal data?+9
The bill establishes a strong mechanism for individuals to delete their personal data across multiple platforms.
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?+9
The bill provides significant new protections for individual privacy against data broker tracking.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+7
The bill significantly enhances consumer protection by giving individuals control over their personal data held by brokers.
The opposite
Would business owners be better off under this?-4
Data brokers face new registration, audit, and deletion compliance costs.
Does this leave more decisions to the states?-3
The bill contains preemption language that may limit state-level privacy law flexibility.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Simplified Data Control: Individuals can use a single submission through a centralized system to request that all registered data brokers delete their personal information and stop future collection (Section 2(b)(1)(A)(ii)).
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Increased Transparency: The bill requires data brokers to register and provide information regarding their data collection, sources, and opt-sout methods, which the Commission must make available to the public (Section 2(a)(1)(A)(ii)).
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Enhanced Privacy Protection: The centralized system uses "salting and hashing" of information to protect the privacy of individuals making deletion requests (Section 2(b)(1)(B)(iv)).
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Cost-Free Access: The centralized system is prohibited from charging individuals to make a deletion request (Section 2(b)(1)(B)(viii)).
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Accountability through Audits: Data brokers are required to undergo independent third-party audits every three years to ensure they are complying with the deletion requirements (Section 2(b)(3)(C)(i)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Data Retention Exceptions: Certain entities may keep personal information for specific reasons, such as human subjects research or compliance with legal requirements like warrants and subpoenas, which means some data may not be deleted (Section 2(b)(2)(A)(ii)).
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Incomplete Information Accuracy: The Commission's website includes a disclaimer stating that they cannot confirm the accuracy of the information provided by data brokers, meaning the public registry might contain inaccurate data (Section 2(a)(2)(B)(i)).
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Risk of Contacting Brokers: The Commission provides a disclaimer that individuals who contact data brokers based on the provided information do so at their own risk (Section 2(a)(2)(B)(i)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy+9Increases Big Tech Regulation+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+9Increases Federal Power+4Improves Government Transparency+3Increase States Rights-3
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+7
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Business Owners-4
- 4/2/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.