The state attorney general is urging customers of 23AndMe to have their genetic data deleted after the DNA testing company declared bankruptcy this week.
The company, which provides over-the-counter genetic testing to help customers map their ancestry or check for potential health dispositions, has struggled financially for years and recently laid off a sizable portion of its staff. Its bankruptcy notice on Sunday and the impending sale of its assets have raised concerns that troves of sensitive customer data will be available to the highest bidder.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert warning people that their sensitive data could be sold and reminding them that they can request the company destroy it. The notice instructs users on how to request both the deletion of digital information stored about a person’s genetic sequence and other personal information and informs them to call the attorney general’s office with complaints if they run into roadblocks – one of the key ways the office builds cases for class action lawsuits.
Users may request their data be deleted by logging into their online account and changing their personal preferences, the notice said. Users can also request that physical samples of stored spit be destroyed. The data is sensitive and “must be protected at all costs,” James said.
The company, which was valued at $6 billion when it went public in 2021, has declined in recent years as it struggled to keep customers returning for services. When it announced its bankruptcy, the company said data protections would be a factor in sale deliberations, but many legal experts have said there is little regulation on where the files may end up.
