How to delete your data from 23andMe before it’s possibly sold
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Biotech company 23andMe is filing for bankruptcy, and a reported potential sale of the company has many wondering who will have access to more than 15 million customers’ genetic data.
23andMe has said data privacy will be considered in any potential sale, but industry experts have warned of a potential “privacy nightmare.”
There is a way to delete all personal data within your 23andMe account. It takes a few minutes in the company’s app and involves a few steps:
- Go to settings in your 23andMe account
- Select “delete your data.”
- Select “permanently delete your data.”
- Confirm your request in an email from 23andMe with one final option to “permanently delete all records.”
You will not be able to access your account after permanently deleting your data.
23andMe says in it’s app, the company’s privacy policy still stands in the event of a sale or change of ownership, but customers can be notified at any point of new privacy terms.
Attorneys General in North Carolina, South Carolina, New York and California have urged 23andMe customers to delete their data. When 11 News reached out to Colorado’s Attorney General asking if he is urging the same, his office provided the below response:
“The Colorado Privacy Act provides several consumer rights, including the right to delete their data ... Data controllers are required to follow certain protocols when responding to such consumer requests ... Businesses are required to respond to consumers within 45 days of their request, which may be extended for another 45 days, where reasonably necessary ... The attorney general is committed to enforcing our state’s data security and privacy laws and will take any action necessary to protect Coloradans’ data,” said Lawrence Pacheco, Director of Communications for Attorney General Phil Weiser’s Office.
Experts have said it’s too early to know who could potentially gain access to 23andMe’s customers' genetic information.
23andMe’s customer support page can be found here.
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