With 23andMe's Future Uncertain, Here's How You Can Delete Your Data and Protect Yourself

Mar. 15, 2025

Signage at 23andMe headquarters.Photo:David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty

David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty

For the last decade, 23andMe has been known worldwide for offering genetic testing, ancestry tracing and health information to its customers.

Now the company’s future appears to be uncertain, leaving some customers concerned and considering deleting their accounts altogether. But there are caveats to deleting these accounts, despite the potential danger posed to customers’ personal information.

Illustration of DNA testing kit.Eric BARADAT / AFP/Getty

Eric BARADAT / AFP/Getty

Additionally, 23andMe does not support any personal information access requests for customers who have deleted their accounts, and customers cannot cancel or reverse the deletion once it is complete.

A spokesperson for 23andMe toldMIT Technology Reviewthe company does not share customer information unless the user gives permission.

In a statement, a spokesperson for 23andMe tells PEOPLE the company has “strong customer privacy protections in place” and that they “are committed to protecting customer data and are consistently focused on maintaining the privacy of our customers. That will not change.”

“In addition to our own strict privacy and security protocols, 23andMe is subject to state and federal consumer privacy and genetic privacy laws that, while similar to HIPAA, offer a more appropriate framework to protect our data than privacy and security program requirements in HIPAA,” the statement continued. “Although state privacy law protections apply to residents of certain states, 23andMe took the opportunity to make improvements for all 23andMe customers globally.”

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“It’s not just you. If anyone in your family gave their DNA to 23&Me, for all of your sakes, close your/their account now,”Meredith Whittaker, president of the encrypted messaging platform Signal, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Oct. 4.

Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at Electronic Frontier Foundation, delivered a similar warning the day prior. “If you have a 23andme account, today is a good day to login and request the deletion of your data,” she wrote alongside a link to anNPRarticle.

As noted in 23andMe’s statement to PEOPLE, CEO and founder Anne Wojcicki recently said she intends “to take the company private, and is not open to considering third party takeover proposals.”

“Anne also expressed her strong commitment to customer privacy, and pledged to maintain the company’s current privacy policy, including following the intended completion of the acquisition she is pursuing,” read the statement.

“Beyond Anne’s pledge to maintain current privacy policy, we note that for any company that handles consumer information, including the type of data we collect, there are applicable data protections set out in law required to be followed as part of any company’s decision to transfer data as part of a sale or restructuring,” the statement continued. “Our own commitment to apply the terms of our Privacy Policy to the Personal Information of our customers in the event of a sale or transfer is clear: the 23andMe Terms of Service and Privacy Statement would remain in place unless and until customers are presented with, and agree to, new terms and statements - and only after receiving appropriate notice of any new terms, under applicable data protection laws.”

source: people.com