The California Attorney General has urgently warned 23andMe customers to purge genetic data from the company’s database about where it will ultimately end if the company goes bankrupt.
“Given the reported financial distress for 23Andme, it reminds us to consider calling Californians their rights and instructing 23AndMe to delete the data and destroy samples of genetic material held by the company,” Ag Rob Bonta said in a statement Friday.
For over a decade, the company has been synonymous with home genetic testing, providing a wide range of personal health and ancestor data to over 15 million customers.
Users will provide saliva samples and mail them to the company for detailed laboratory analysis at a cost of around $200.
For a while, the company has been a runaway success, and in 2020 it was recently worth $6 billion.
While data breaches subsequently generated concerns about user information, it clearly attempted to expand too far into drug research and drug partnerships.
The stock price has been cratered, and the bottom has fallen due to a one-off Silicon Valley Darling.
The company’s stock price exceeded $320 in February 2021, but has since slid to under $2 per share.
Nowadays, when businesses get mad, thorny questions are being raised about the fate of the most sensitive data for millions of customers. The company experienced a data breach in 2023, leading to concerns about how well the user’s information is protected.
Under California’s Genetic Information Privacy Act, businesses must obtain express consent to the collection, use and disclosure of genetic data. The 2022 Act guarantees consumers the right to access or delete data.
Bonta said customers can permanently delete 23andMe data by logging in to their account, accessing the Settings menu and going to the Data section.
Click (View) to access the Delete Data section. The “Delete data permanently” option appears.
Once you pass this process, you will automatically generate an email from the company confirming your request. Users must click before data is deleted.
