LANSING, Mich — Following the announcement of gene testing firm 23andMe filing for chapter eleven bankruptcy, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is urging neighbors who have accounts with the company to take steps to protect their personal information.
The company’s core product is an at-home DNA testing kit offering ancestry data, probable genetic health risks, and other personalized genetic reports.
The company is looking at a court-supervised sale process and it is not yet known what will happen to all of the genetic data if a sale is finalized.
A.G. Nessel advises neighbors to consider canceling their accounts and to request the destruction of any data or genetic samples.
The Attorney General says, although high wait times and even portal access disruptions have been reported due to the high volume of customer deletion requests, consumers currently can delete their 23andMe account and personal information with the following steps:
To Delete Genetic Data from 23andMe
- Log into your 23andMe account on the website.
- Go to the “Settings” section of your profile.
- Scroll to a section labeled “23andMe Data” at the bottom of the page.
- Click “View” next to “23andMe Data”
- Scroll to the “Delete Data” section.
- Click “Permanently Delete Data.”
- Confirm your request; you’ll receive an email from 23andMe; follow the link in the email to confirm your deletion request.
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 to use your genetic data and sample for research, you may withdraw consent from the account settings page under “Research and Product Consents.”
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