Is It Time to Delete Your 23andMe Account?

23andMe has revolutionized the genetic testing industry by offering personalized health and ancestry reports based on saliva samples provided by customers. However, recent developments surrounding the company’s future and potential new ownership have raised concerns among privacy advocates, prompting some to urge users to delete their data.

“It’s not just you. If anyone in your family gave their DNA to 23andMe, for all of your sakes, close your/their account now,” urged Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal, in a recent tweet.

Jason Kelley from the Electronic Frontier Foundation warned, “Customers should consider current threats to their privacy as well as threats that may exist in the future—some of which may be magnified if 23andMe were sold to a new owner.”

Despite these concerns, a spokesperson for 23andMe emphasized the company’s strong customer privacy protections and commitment to data security. They assured that customer data is not shared with third parties without consent and that the company is dedicated to maintaining customer privacy.

Why Deleting Your Account Comes with a Caveat

While deleting your data from 23andMe is permanent and cannot be reversed, the company is required to retain some information to comply with legal obligations. This includes genetic information, date of birth, and sex, as well as data associated with the deletion request.

It’s important to note that any information provided and consented to for research projects cannot be removed from ongoing or completed studies. However, 23andMe assures that beyond the laboratory processing, customer information is not shared without explicit permission.