Georgia Attorney General: In wake of 23andMe bankruptcy, delete your data. Here's how

News of another major company's bankruptcy broke, but this one may require Georgians to be proactive.

23andMe recently started filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and it's raised some alarm bells. Here's what we know:

What is 23andMe?

23andMe is a personal genomics and biotechnology company based in California. Their model is based around easy-to-use saliva kits with which they use to conduct DNA testing providing comprehensive ancestry breakdowns, personalized health insights, and other helpful info.

The company was founded in 2006 and went public in 2021 at a valuation of $6 billion.

What happened to 23andMe?

23andMe is looking to "sell substantially all of its assets" and is seeking authorization from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to do so, according to a news release. A company official said they determined this is the "Best path forward to maximize the value of the business."

Co-founder CEO Anne Wojcicki has resigned and been succeeded by Chief Financial Officer Joe Selsavage.

In September, the company agreed to pay $30 million in a settlement after a class-action lawsuit was brought against the company for a 2023 data breach that affected 6.9 million users. The suit accused the company of failing to protect users' personal information and neglecting to notify users of the breach.

Georgia Attorney General warns 23andMe users

On Tuesday, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr issued an alert online saying that, as part of the bankruptcy proceeding, this sensitive data could be considered an asset, and as such, it could be sold or transferred to a third party.

"For this reason, the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division urges Georgians to review their privacy options and strongly consider deleting their accounts," the news release said.

Carr joined multiple other attorneys generals in issuing similar alerts including those in California, New York, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida.

Addressing data concerns, 23andMe posted an open letter on Sunday saying the company remains "committed to our users’ privacy and to being transparent with our customers about how their data is managed" and that "Any buyer of 23andMe will be required to comply with applicable law with respect to the treatment of customer data."

How to delete 23andMe data

1. Sign in to your 23andMe account
2. Go to "Account Settings"
3. Click "23andMe Data"
4. Click "View"
5. Click "Delete Data"
6. Click "Permanently Delete Data"
7. Confirm request

After submitting a request, a user will receive an email detailing the 23andMe account deletion policy, in addition to a further request for confirmation. Upon email confirmation, a user will then lose account access. Once the email confirmation has been completed, users can't request their personal information back, as the deletion process is automatic, according to the 23andMe website.

How to download 23andMe data

Here's how to download raw data from 23andMe:

1. Sign in to your 23andMe account
2. Go to "Account Settings"
3. Click "23andMe Data"
4. Request a "raw data download"

Here's how to download reports summaries, composition raw data, and other information associated with your 23andMe account:

1. Sign in to your 23andMe account
2. Go to "Account Settings"
3. Click "23andMe Data"
4. Request the following:
   • Reports Summary
   • Ancestry Composition Data
   • Family Tree Data
   • Imputed Genotype Data R6
   • Phased Genotype Data
   • Profile Data

Data can only be downloaded from a personal computer, not a public computer or mobile device. If you are having trouble downloading or deleting data, contact 23andMe's customer service by email at privacy@23andme.com.

Miguel Legoas is a Deep South Connect Team Reporter for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X and Instagram @miguelegoas and email atmlegoas@gannett.com.