Signs in 23andme headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, USA, on Wednesday, January 27, 2021.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty pictures
23andme officially submitted insolvency protection in Chapter 11, which means that his assets – including its huge genetic database – will soon be for sale.
The company continues to sell its DNA test kits at home and enables consumers to get an insight into their family history and genetic profiles. DNA data is particularly sensitive because the sequence of every person is unique, which means that according to the National Human Genome Research Institute, it can never be fully anonymized.
If genetic data fall into the hands of bad actors, it can be used to facilitate identity theft, insurance fraud or other crimes. 23Andme was plagued by data protection concerns in recent years after Hacker had accessed the information of almost 7 million customers in October 2023.
As part of the bankruptcy process, the company will strive for a partner who has its commitment to data protection for customers and that there are no changes to how it stores, manages and protects data by the sales process.
“The privacy and data of our users are important considerations in every transaction, and we are still committed to the privacy of our users and transparently with our customers about how their data is managed,” said the company on a FAQ page about bankruptcy registration. “Every buyer of 23 and 23Ande must comply with the applicable law in terms of treatment of customer data.”
Nevertheless, experts and civil servants and customers ask for caution. Attorney General of California, Rob Bonta, published a consumer alarm on Friday and encouraged the residents to delete their genetic data from 23andme, which is based in his home state.
“In view of the financial burden reported by 23andmes, I remind you of considering, calling up your rights and 23Andme, deleting your data and destroying all samples from genetic materials held by the company,” said Bonta in the publication.
Adrianus Wärmenhoven, which is a member of the security board at NordVPN, described genetic data as the “Blueprint of your entire biological profile. “He encouraged consumers to delete their information and consciously the companies with which they share them in the future.
“Monitor your digital footprint regularly and you can also register for the protective services for loan surveillance or identity theft,” said Wärmehoven in a statement to CNBC. “Revoke authorizations that you no longer need, switch on an account that you do not use and learn how your data is used.”
23Andme said that customers can continue to delete their account and accompanying data. Like: How:
Delete your genetic data from 23andme
- Go to 23andMe.com and register in your account.
- Click on your profile in the upper right corner of the website and then click on “Settings”.
- Scroll at the bottom of the “23Andme data” page and click the “View” button.
- Activate the boxes of all data you want to download and click on “Download inquiries”. This step is optional and can take up to 30 days. Outstanding downloads are canceled when you delete your account.
- Scroll at the end of the page and click the RED button, in which “Delete data is permanently displayed”.
- You will receive an e -mail with the subject line “23Andme Löschen Konzliche”. Open it and click on the “Delete all data records”. Your data will only be deleted unless you complete this step.
At this point, your personal data and account will be permanently deleted by 23Andme in accordance with the company's deletion email. In addition, your data will not be used in future research projects, and all personal samples that the company kept will be rejected.
Correction: A previous version of this story contained incorrect information about what happens to downloaded data when you delete your account.
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