SACRAMENTO, Calif. — State and community leaders convened today for an Ethnic Media Forum to announce major updates on two landmark state initiatives: the expansion of the CalKIDS college savings program and the implementation timeline for California’s pioneering consumer privacy tool, the Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP).
Hosted by the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications (OCPSC), the forum emphasized equitable access to public resources, offering simultaneous interpretation in Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Hmong, Korean, and Tagalog.
CalKIDS Surpasses 900,000 Claimed Accounts
The California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) has officially surpassed 900,000 claimed scholarship accounts, solidifying its status as the nation’s largest state-led child development account initiative.
Launched in 2022, the program has established more than 5.6 million accounts, representing a state investment of over $2.3 billion in higher education and career training.
To boost participation, the state has launched a coordinated data-matching effort alongside the California Cradle-to-Career Data System and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The partnership successfully identified 40,000 current community college students who qualify for a combined total of more than $20 million in unclaimed CalKIDS funds.
“California is investing in our students long before they arrive on a college campus or at a training program,” said California State Treasurer Fiona Ma, CPA. “While we’re helping students cover college and career training expenses like tuition, books, and supplies, we’re also helping ensure families have greater access to educational opportunity.”
State Privacy Agency Prepares to Enforce Data Deletion Tool
The forum also highlighted DROP, a first-of-its-kind consumer privacy platform launched earlier this year by the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy). The free online tool enables residents to submit a single, centralized request directing all registered data brokers to delete and cease selling their personal information.
The platform is designed to safeguard Californians from identity theft, spam, and emerging digital threats, with a particular focus on protecting communities highly vulnerable to fraud and artificial intelligence (AI) impersonation.
“Removing your personal information from the businesses that sell it could decrease the risk of identity theft, fraud, spam calls, and hacking attempts,” said Tom Kemp, Executive Director of CalPrivacy. “DROP puts that power back in consumers’ hands and helps ensure communities across the state understand and can exercise their privacy rights.”
Key Implementation Dates & Enforcement
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Account Creation: Residents can currently log into the state’s privacy portal to verify residency, build a profile, and submit a deletion request.
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August 1 Mandate: Registered data brokers will be legally required to begin processing DROP requests.
- 45-Day Cycle: Following the initial August deadline, brokers must continuously process deletion requests every 45 days.
Eligible families and residents looking to claim their savings accounts or secure their online privacy can access both services directly through official state portals.
