23andMe just filed for bankruptcy and if you’ve ever used their service you need to delete your data right now (we tell you how)

23andMe was one of the earliest providers of genetic and genealogy testing services, if you were curious about what your genetic makeup was or wanted more insight into possible genetic predispositions it was as easy as providing a saliva sample and shipping it off to the company for testing.

Now however, it’s been announced that the company is planning to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, what this means for its consumers is that the company assets could be sold – including your DNA data.

We’ve written about data brokers and how they use your data to customize ads to specifically target you, what could be more prime data about you then your literal genetic makeup? We are urging you to go and delete your data right now before the choice of doing so is outside of your control. Here’s how you can request they delete your data (including destroying your DNA sample):

First, ask them to destroy your DNA sample:

-> Go to “Settings” > “Preferences”

-> Withdraw any previous consent for your sample to be stored or used in research

-> You can also revoke consent for future research participation under “Research and Product Consents”

Note: If you ask them to destroy your DNA sample, be sure and do that before you delete your account.

Second, delete your account and all its data:

1. Log into your account
2. Go to your profile > “Settings”
3. Navigate to “23andMe Data” > click “View”
4. Select “Delete Data”
5. Click “Permanently delete data”
6. Follow the prompts to confirm

The company also has instructions for deleting your data that differ from the above (and we recommend you attempt this path first) but they can be found at: https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/212170688-Requesting-23andMe-Account-Closure

It’s also important to note that 23andMe is still being investigated for a data breach that exposed the personal data of 7 million of their customers. The privacy concerns surrounding these companies and the extremely personal data they house is an ongoing concern.

Data protection is also a serious concern for businesses, on a scale that’s many times multiplied from consumer applications. If you are looking to avoid the pitfalls many companies have fallen into, including 23andme, in protecting customer data and securing your system, Valley Techlogic can be your partner. We have cybersecurity solutions aimed at providing the highest level of protection and utilizing industry best practices and it’s included by default in all of our technology support plans. Reach out today for more information.

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