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The genetic information company declared bankruptcy on Sunday, and California’s attorney general has issued a privacy “consumer alert.”
If you’re one of the 15 million people who shared your DNA with 23andMe, it’s time to delete your data.
The genetic information company, best known for its saliva test kits, announced Sunday it is headed to bankruptcy court to sell its assets. And 23andMe’s financial distress prompted California Attorney General Rob Bonta to issue an unusual privacy “consumer alert” about it Friday.
It’s a privacy nightmare, but also an example of how state privacy laws pioneered in California can help protect Americans — at least the proactive ones.
Founded in 2006, 23andMe was a pioneer in the quest to unlock knowledge from the human genome. It offers customers information about their family tree and hereditary characteristics, while researching new kinds of treatments.
But in recent years, 23andMe has been slammed by simultaneous business and security challenges. It went public in 2021 but burned through its cash and watched its value drop from about $6 billion to around $50 million now.
In 2023, it had a data breach that affected some 7 million customers. Hackers used customers’ old passwords to gain access to information that in some cases included family trees, birth years and geographic locations.
In September, 23andMe’s board of directors quit after rejecting CEO Anne Wojcicki’s proposals to take the company private. With the bankruptcy announcement, Wojcicki quit to pursue another bid for the business.
23andMe didn’t immediately respond to my questions. But in its Sunday filing announcing bankruptcy, it said it “intends to continue operating its business in the ordinary course throughout the sale process.”
How to delete genetic data from 23andMe
- Log into your 23andMe account.
- Go to your Profile, then tap Settings.
- Scroll to the “23andMe Data” section at the bottom of the page and click View.
- If you want to download your data, select what you want.
- Scroll to the “Delete Data” section and click Permanently Delete Data.
- Confirm your request: You’ll receive an email from 23andMe, and click the link in the email to confirm.
The privacy risks
Bonta, the California attorney general, didn’t specify the risks of leaving your “trove of sensitive consumer data” with 23andMe. But privacy advocates I’ve spoken to have been watching the company’s challenges with concern on several fronts.
First, you are relying on 23andMe to keep your DNA safe from hackers. But that could be hard for any company to do under bankruptcy proceedings — and 23andMe has had plenty of security trouble in the past. (On its website, 23andMe says the company has achieved three certifications to demonstrate the strength of its security program.)
