When Consumer Reports launched Permission Slip in 2022, we were trying to solve a very specific problem: people had just been granted powerful new privacy rights, but exercising those rights was messy and time-consuming.
Consumer Reports had spent years advocating for stronger data privacy laws across the country, including landmark legislation like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). These laws gave people the ability to access, delete, and stop the sale of their personal data. On paper, it was a big win. In practice, it often meant navigating confusing opt-out flows, hunting down contact forms, or sending individual requests to dozens (or hundreds) of companies.
Permission Slip was our attempt to empower consumers to exercise their data rights. We built it as a free app that could act as an authorized agent on a user’s behalf—making it simple to request that companies delete your data or stop selling it. Our goal was to translate hard-won policy victories and research into something tangible and useful for everyday people.
Today, I’m sharing an update on what comes next for Permission Slip.
Consumer Reports is transferring the Permission Slip app to DeleteMe, a company that has been a leader in data privacy for over a decade. Years before the first state privacy laws were on the books, DeleteMe was helping define what it means to remove your personal information from the internet—effectively creating the category that many others (including CR) have since built on.
Like Permission Slip, DeleteMe is focused on making data removal quick, easy, and safe. They bring deep expertise and a singular focus on this problem space that will help Permission Slip continue to grow and have an impact.
For users, the transition should be seamless. Request processing will continue as normal, and Permission Slip will remain available in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. We expect DeleteMe to assume full operations of the app by July.
I’m proud of the scale at which Permission Slip has helped people exercise their data rights. We processed nearly 5 million data rights requests; each request represents a moment where a person was able to take back a bit more control over their personal information. This impact was the result of thoughtful product design, persistent advocacy, and a clear focus on consumer needs.
Consumer Reports remains committed to ensuring people can easily exercise their data rights and will continue pushing for stronger laws and rules that protect people’s personal data. Permission Slip was one way we brought that mission to life, and our privacy efforts will continue.
I’m excited to see how Permission Slip evolves in its next chapter with DeleteMe, and to know that the momentum we’ve created in consumer data privacy will continue.
