Authorized agent and limited power of attorney, explained
To take your personal information off the internet, someone has to file the opt-out requests with each data broker — and privacy laws let you name an agent to do that for you. This page explains, in plain words, what you're granting Delist when you do, and why it stays narrow, revocable, and limited to the removal work.
Start your free scan →"Power of attorney" sounds broad. This one isn't.
When a data broker asks who's requesting a removal, the answer has to be you — or someone you've officially authorized to act for you. Privacy laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) build in exactly that: you can name an authorized agent to submit opt-out and deletion requests on your behalf.
The phrase "power of attorney" calls up signing over your house or your bank accounts. The version you grant here does none of that. It's scoped to a single job — getting your personal information removed, and pushing back when a broker ignores the law.
The two things you might sign
Authorized agent designation
This is the standard one, and for most people it's the only one. It names Delist as your authorized agent so we can submit privacy requests to data brokers for you — to opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, delete it, correct it, and see what a broker holds. That's the authority that lets us file an authorized agent opt-out request instead of you filling out every form yourself. It covers the CCPA and CPRA in California, the Colorado Privacy Act, Virginia's VCDPA, and equivalent state privacy laws.
Limited power of attorney
This one only comes into play if a broker breaks the law — ignores a verified request or blows past the deadline the statute gives them. It lets us send formal demands that name the statute and, where warranted, file a complaint with a regulator such as a state attorney general, the California Privacy Protection Agency, or the FTC, in your name. It's "limited" because it's tied to that one purpose: making a non-compliant broker comply. We only ask you to sign it if a case actually reaches that point.
What this authorization can't do
Start a lawsuit in your name
The limited power of attorney can't take a broker to court for you. If a case ever needed to be litigated, that takes a separate, specific authorization you'd sign yourself.
Settle or sign away a claim
We can't settle, compromise, or release any legal claim you might have against a broker. If you have a claim, it stays entirely yours to decide on.
Touch your accounts or money
This authority is walled off from the rest of your life. We can't open, change, close, or reach into any account, contract, or payment you hold with anyone. It reaches your privacy requests and nothing else.
Stay in place once you revoke it
Change your mind whenever you want — email us or switch it off in your dashboard. Revocation takes effect immediately for anything going forward. Requests already filed on your behalf can't be un-sent, but nothing new happens under the authorization after you pull it.
Reach anyone's data but yours
You confirm you're 18 or older and that the information is your own. We act for you, on your data — never as a way to look someone else up.
Slip past a record of what you agreed to
Every authorization is logged with the date and a fingerprint of the exact document you signed, kept as a tamper-evident record. That's proof of what you granted and when — a protection for you, not just for us. There's no separate charge for any of this; escalation is part of your plan, and Delist earns nothing extra for acting as your agent.
Common questions
What is a CCPA authorized agent?
A CCPA authorized agent is a person or company you officially allow to submit privacy requests for you. The California Consumer Privacy Act, and similar laws in other states, let you opt out, delete, or correct your data through an agent instead of contacting every data broker yourself. When you name Delist, we become that agent for the sites we file with.
Is granting a limited power of attorney safe for data removal?
It's built to be narrow. The authority is tied to one purpose — getting your personal information removed, and pushing back when a broker ignores the law. It can't be used to start a lawsuit, settle a claim, or touch your accounts, money, or contracts. You can revoke it at any time, and it only ever applies to your own data.
What can Delist actually do with it, and what can't it?
With it, we can submit opt-out, deletion, and correction requests, follow up when a broker stalls, and, if a broker breaks the law, escalate to a regulator on your behalf. We can't sue anyone in your name, settle or release a legal claim, change any account or contract you hold, or act on data that isn't yours.
Can I revoke it?
Yes, at any time. Email us or switch it off in your dashboard and it stops applying to anything new right away. Requests already filed on your behalf don't get un-filed, but nothing further happens under the authorization once you revoke it.
Do I have to sign both documents?
Most people only ever sign the authorized agent designation, which is what lets us file your opt-out requests. The limited power of attorney is a separate, second step we only ask for if a broker ignores the law and the case needs to go to a regulator.
Which laws does this cover?
The authorization is written around the CCPA and CPRA in California, the Colorado Privacy Act, Virginia's VCDPA, and equivalent state privacy statutes. These are the laws that give you the right to name an agent and set the deadlines brokers have to meet.
This page explains the authorization in plain words. It's general information, not legal advice.
See what's exposed about you.
Start with a free scan. You only grant agent authorization if you upgrade to removal — and only by signing it yourself, one clear form, revocable anytime.
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