23andMe Bankruptcy: How users can save, delete information from database

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THEIR OWN COUNTRIES MAY NOT TAKE THEM BACK. WELL, SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO BASED DNA TESTING COMPANY 23 ANDME HAS NOW FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY. THIS IS RAISING CONCERNS ABOUT THE DATA PRIVACY OF ITS 15 MILLION CUSTOMERS. KURTIS MING JOINS US NOW WITH THE DETAILS ON THE COMPANY’S BANKRUPTCY AND HOW YOU CAN DELETE YOUR DATA. YEAH, THE BIG QUESTION TONIGHT, IF THEY HAVE YOUR DNA, WHAT HAPPENS TO IT? CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL ROB BONTA ISSUING A CONSUMER ALERT SAYING YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE IT DELETED. 23 ANDME FILING FOR CHAPTER 11 TODAY, THE BOARD’S CHAIR WANTS THE COURT TO OVERSEE A SALE. DON’T KNOW WHO’S GOING TO BUY IT. THE COMPANY’S CEO RESIGNED EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. THE GENEALOGY COMPANY STRUGGLED TO FIND A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL. ITS CORE PRODUCT IS THOSE AT-HOME DNA TESTING KITS, OFFERING PERSONALIZED GENETIC INSIGHTS. 23 ANDME TRIED TO CONVERT ONETIME BUYERS INTO SUBSCRIBERS, BUT REALLY STRUGGLED WITH THAT, AND IT’S NOT YET KNOWN WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ALL OF THAT GENETIC DATA. 23 ANDME CURRENTLY POSSESSES IF A SALE HAPPENS, ATTORNEY GENERAL BONTA SAYS IF YOU SENT IN YOUR DNA, YOU SHOULD HAVE IT DELETED. THIS IS PEOPLE’S SENSITIVE, PRIVATE INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR ANCESTRY, ABOUT SOME OF THEIR CONNECTIONS IN THEIR ANCESTRAL TREE. OF COURSE, IT HAS INFORMATION LIKE DATE OF BIRTH, AND THAT IS VALUABLE TO INDIVIDUALS. IT’S SOMETHING THAT THEY WANT TO KNOW, BUT THEY MAY NOT WANT SHARED. AND AND SO IN CALIFORNIA, WE BELIEVE THAT YOUR PRIVATE DATA IS YOURS. AND FOR YEARS TO CONTROL. SO HERE’S HOW TO DELETE YOUR DATA ON THE SITE. SIGN IN AND GO TO SETTINGS, WHICH IS UNDER YOUR PROFILE. SCROLL TO THE SECTION LABELED 23 ANDME DATA AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE, AND THERE YOU COULD CLICK VIEW. THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN OPTION TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF YOUR DATA OR TO DELETE IT. SCROLL TO THE DELETE DATA SECTION AND CLICK PERMANENTLY DELETE DATA. YOU SHOULD THEN GET AN EMAIL FROM 23 ANDME WITH A LINK TO CONFIRM YOUR REQUEST. AND IF YOU OPTED TO HAVE 23 ANDME, STORE YOUR SALIVA SAMPLE, YOU CAN OPT OUT UNDER THE PREFERENCES SECTION ON YOUR ACCOUN

23andMe Bankruptcy: How users can save, delete information from database

A bankruptcy filing Sunday by 23andMe, a genetic testing and biotechnology company, is shining light on what could happen to customers' personal information, leading to some wanting to know how to delete their account. WHAT HAPPENED TO 23ANDME?The San Francisco-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 23, explaining in a statement that it did so to "facilitate a sale process to maximize the value of its business," according to ABC News Tuesday. In addition, the company's CEO resigned, saying she did so to bid independently on the company. ABC News said the company, in talks of a possible sale, plans to continue to operate as usual, noting to customers the bankruptcy filing will not change how customer data is protected, managed, and stored. With the company's uncertain future, consumer advocates are urging users to delete their accounts and data to prevent their genetic information from ending up in unexpected hands. HOW CAN I DELETE MY 23ANDME ACCOUNT? According to 23andMe's official website, customers can delete their account anytime within their Account Settings. "If you participated in 23andMe Research, your personal information will no longer be used in any future research projects. If you asked us to store your genetic samples, they will be discarded. We will retain limited information about you, including records of this deletion request, and other information as required by law and otherwise described in our Privacy Statement," 23andMe states on its website. Step by-step deletion: Log into your account and go to "Settings."Scroll to the section "23andMe data" and click "View."Scroll to "Delete Data" and select "Permanently Delete Data."Look for an email from 23andMe at the email address linked to your account and confirm your request. "Once you submit your request via your Account Settings, we will send an email to the email address linked to your 23andMe account detailing our account deletion policy and requesting confirmation of your request," their website states. "Once you confirm your request, we will immediately and automatically begin the deletion process, and you will lose access to your account. Once confirmed, this process cannot be canceled, undone, withdrawn, or reversed." The website says that if you have trouble deleting your account, you can contact customercare@23andme.com for further assistance.In an interview with ABC News on Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned that consumers could encounter a slow or glitchy website when they go to delete their information but encouraged them to keep trying.“I was attempting to delete my data today, and the website was down today at times,” Bonta said, adding that the outage may have been caused by heavy traffic to the site with many people seeking to delete their data.CAN I SAVE MY PERSONAL INFORMATION? If you are wanting to save your personal information prior to deleting your account, 23andMe recommends users download their information saved in Account Settings. Once your account is deleted, you will be unable to retrieve any information. WHAT'S THE POSSIBLE FUTURE OF 23ANDME?In the event of a bankruptcy or sale, a user's 23andMe data can go to a new company or be sold in bankruptcy, Anya Prince, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law with research interests in health and genetic privacy, told ABC News previously.The company said that it plans to prioritize customer data privacy throughout the sale process."Any buyer will be required to comply with applicable law with respect to treatment of customer data," the company said in a letter referenced by ABC News said. "Our users' privacy and data are important considerations in any transaction, and we remain committed to our users' privacy and to being transparent with our customers about how their data is managed."23andMe's current privacy statement is available on its website. Click here to view.ABC News contributed to this article.

WHAT HAPPENED TO 23ANDME?

The San Francisco-based company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on March 23, explaining in a statement that it did so to "facilitate a sale process to maximize the value of its business," according to ABC News Tuesday.

In addition, the company's CEO resigned, saying she did so to bid independently on the company. ABC News said the company, in talks of a possible sale, plans to continue to operate as usual, noting to customers the bankruptcy filing will not change how customer data is protected, managed, and stored.

With the company's uncertain future, consumer advocates are urging users to delete their accounts and data to prevent their genetic information from ending up in unexpected hands.

HOW CAN I DELETE MY 23ANDME ACCOUNT?

According to 23andMe's official website, customers can delete their account anytime within their Account Settings.

"If you participated in 23andMe Research, your personal information will no longer be used in any future research projects. If you asked us to store your genetic samples, they will be discarded. We will retain limited information about you, including records of this deletion request, and other information as required by law and otherwise described in our Privacy Statement," 23andMe states on its website.

Step by-step deletion:

Log into your account and go to "Settings."
Scroll to the section "23andMe data" and click "View."
Scroll to "Delete Data" and select "Permanently Delete Data."
Look for an email from 23andMe at the email address linked to your account and confirm your request.

"Once you submit your request via your Account Settings, we will send an email to the email address linked to your 23andMe account detailing our account deletion policy and requesting confirmation of your request," their website states. "Once you confirm your request, we will immediately and automatically begin the deletion process, and you will lose access to your account. Once confirmed, this process cannot be canceled, undone, withdrawn, or reversed."

The website says that if you have trouble deleting your account, you can contact customercare@23andme.com for further assistance.

In an interview with ABC News on Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned that consumers could encounter a slow or glitchy website when they go to delete their information but encouraged them to keep trying.

“I was attempting to delete my data today, and the website was down today at times,” Bonta said, adding that the outage may have been caused by heavy traffic to the site with many people seeking to delete their data.

CAN I SAVE MY PERSONAL INFORMATION?

If you are wanting to save your personal information prior to deleting your account, 23andMe recommends users download their information saved in Account Settings.

Once your account is deleted, you will be unable to retrieve any information.

WHAT'S THE POSSIBLE FUTURE OF 23ANDME?

In the event of a bankruptcy or sale, a user's 23andMe data can go to a new company or be sold in bankruptcy, Anya Prince, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law with research interests in health and genetic privacy, told ABC News previously.

The company said that it plans to prioritize customer data privacy throughout the sale process.

"Any buyer will be required to comply with applicable law with respect to treatment of customer data," the company said in a letter referenced by ABC News said. "Our users' privacy and data are important considerations in any transaction, and we remain committed to our users' privacy and to being transparent with our customers about how their data is managed."

23andMe's current privacy statement is available on its website. Click here to view.

ABC News contributed to this article.

23andMe Bankruptcy: How users can save, delete information from database

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WHAT HAPPENED TO 23ANDME?

HOW CAN I DELETE MY 23ANDME ACCOUNT?

CAN I SAVE MY PERSONAL INFORMATION?

WHAT'S THE POSSIBLE FUTURE OF 23ANDME?

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