What to know about your data after 23andMe bankruptcy filing
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Genetic testing company 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this weekend, leading to customer concerns about data privacy.
23andMe says its bankruptcy filing won’t change the way it stores or protects data. The board chair said Sunday that 23andMe is “committed to continuing to safeguard customer data” and that data privacy will be “an important consideration” in any future sale.
John Bringardner of Debtwire notes that any new buyer of 23andMe will have to comply with regulatory approvals that ensure “customer data won’t end up in unscrupulous hands.”
Still, who will end up owning 23andMe down the road is unknown. And experts note that risks remain.
“Personal data collected by 23andme has always been at risk,” Bringardner wrote in emailed commentary on Monday — pointing particularly to a 2023 data breach that compromised ancestral information for nearly 7 million 23andMe customers.
He added that litigation spanning from the aftermath of this breach helped drive up liabilities that eventually contributed to the current bankruptcy filing.
“Arizona law allows consumers to take control of their genetic data and request that a company delete it,” said Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes. “Because of 23andMe’s current financial situation, I urge Arizonans to consider invoking their rights under Arizona law and request a deletion of genetic data held by 23andMe.”
If you’re uncertain about your genetic data, you can request it be deleted by 23andMe:
- Log into your account
- Go to settings and scroll to “23andMe Data”
- Click “View,” and scroll to “Delete Data”
- Click “Permanently Delete Data”
- Confirm your request
After you confirm data deletion, this process cannot be reversed.
To Destroy Your 23andMe Test Sample:
If you previously opted to have your saliva sample and DNA stored by 23andMe, but want to change that preference, you can do so from your account settings page, under “Preferences.”
To Revoke Permission for Your Genetic Data to be Used for Research:
If you previously consented to 23andMe and third-party researchers using your genetic data and sample for research, you may withdraw consent from the account settings page, under “Research and Product Consents.”
Last year, 23andMe agreed to pay $30 million in cash to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of failing to protect customers whose personal information was exposed in this breach. On Sunday, the company said that it plans to use bankruptcy proceedings to “resolve all outstanding legal liabilities” stemming from the October 2023 incident.
Beyond this data breach, uncertainty about the company’s future overall has also led some to recently urge 23andMe customers to delete their data.
On Friday, days before 23andMe’s bankruptcy filing, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an urgent alert reminding 23andMe customers of their legal rights under state law — and called on them to consider deleting and destroying any genetic data held by the company. Bonta’s office pointed to 23andMe’s ongoing financial distress and “trove of sensitive consumer data” the company has amassed.
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