Millions of users have used genetic testing to discover more about themselves. But you may want to consider deleting your data in light of one company's uncertain future.
Your 23andMe Private DNA Data Could Be At Risk—Here’s What You Should Know
Published on Oct. 17, 2024
At virtually every turn, vast amounts of your private information are collected by businesses and government agencies. Yet there’s perhaps no data more personally connected to you than the type collected by 23andMe, an ancestry-tracing company that tests your DNA to illuminate family ties, unearth your genealogy, and spot genetic predispositions that could affect your health.
In 2023, the company was hit with a major data breach in which over 14,000 user accounts were directly accessed without authorization, but millions of accounts were affected by the breach as well. Now, many of the company’s 15 million customers are left to wonder about the safety of their genetic data.
However, the nefarious acts of hackers are not the only cause for concern. The company is now showing additional signs of trouble–rumors are swirling about its potential sale and potential delisting from the stock exchange. On September 17, the 23andMe board presented a resignation letter that included the signatures of every board member except the company’s CEO and chair of the board, Anne Wojcicki. She has stated that she intends to take the company private, but is not currently considering a third party acquisition.
If data does change hands, it could be used in ways that people never intended when they voluntarily sent off tubes of their saliva for analysis. According to the company’s privacy statement, in the event of a “bankruptcy, merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets, your Personal Information may be accessed, sold or transferred as part of that transaction.”
According to the nonprofit digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), at least a dozen states would require the company to seek consent from customers before transferring their data, and those customers would have the right to refuse. However, EFF’s director of cybersecurity Eva Galperin took to X (formerly Twitter) to share her takeaway: “If you have a 23andMe account, today is a good day to login and request the deletion of your data,” she posted on October 3.
The process to do so is relatively simple: Log into your 23andMe account and click on “Settings,” then “23andMe Data,” and finally, “Delete Your Data.” From there, you’ll receive an email further outlining the company’s account deletion policy, asking for final confirmation that you would like to cancel your account.
The company website’s Customer Care page says that following these steps will “permanently delete the data associated with all profiles within the account.” However, it also notes: “While we will delete the majority of your Personal Information, we are required to retain some information to comply with our legal obligations.”
Customers can direct their questions directly to the company’s Customer Care team by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].
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