I received a newsletter email today from a company where I had created an account to try their services but never really used.
I could have sent it to spam or clicked “unsubscribe,” but I wanted the account closed, not just the emails stopped.
I had previously tried to close the account through their website but never received a response. My first attempt was generic (“please close my account”), which probably didn’t help.
The footer mentioned the company was from California. California has strong privacy laws under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which includes a “right to delete.” I thought citing that law might be more effective than a generic request. Even though not all companies headquartered in California need to comply with CCPA, it was worth trying.
Europe has a similar law (GDPR), and companies outside the European Union that have customers from the Eurozone need to comply with it.
I asked ChatGPT to draft an email for me:
Write me an email to close an account under CCPA laws
It gave me a template. I noticed it used “As a California resident,” so I prompted ChatGPT to remove that phrase.
Tip: Don’t send ChatGPT confidential data like email addresses, since it could use the data for training and you don’t know what happens to it.
The revised template looked like this:
Subject: Request to Close Account under CCPA Laws
Dear [Company Name],
I am writing to request the closure of my account with your company under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). As a customer, I have the right to request the deletion of my personal information that you have collected and stored about me.
Please confirm that you have received this email and that you will delete all of my personal information from your database and any third-party service providers you may use. This includes but is not limited to my name, address, phone number, email address, and any other identifying information that you have collected.
I understand that the closure of my account may result in the loss of any data, preferences, or other personalized settings associated with my account. However, I am willing to accept this consequence in order to protect my privacy.
Please let me know if there are any additional steps that I need to take to ensure that my request is fulfilled. I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
Technically, the CCPA is for California residents, but many tech companies have expanded it to cover all American residents. Washington Post source
I’m not American, but it seems more complex for companies to verify residency. It’s easier for them to just process the request without discriminating.
I sent the email and received confirmation:
Eight minutes later, I received an email telling me the account was closed.
The additional context of citing the California law probably made the message more effective. They might even scan for those keywords in their support queue.