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23 and Me Files for Bankruptcy - Act Now to Save or Delete Your Data [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-25
Per 9News.com, the local NBC affiliate in Denver and AP, 23andMe files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as co-founder and CEO Wojcicki resigns.
WASHINGTON — 23andMe has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and its co-founder and CEO has resigned as the struggling genetic testing company continues its push to cut costs. San Francisco-based 23andMe announced on Sunday that it will look to sell “substantially all of its assets” through a court-approved reorganization plan.
Those assets include your genetic data (for those who have taken the 23 and Me genetic tests to see who you’re related to in this great wide world).
23andMe says its bankruptcy filing won’t change the way it stores or protects data. Jensen, the board chair, said Sunday that 23andMe is “committed to continuing to safeguard customer data” and that data privacy will be “an important consideration” in any future sale. John Bringardner of Debtwire notes that any new buyer of 23andMe will have to comply with regulatory approvals that ensure “customer data won’t end up in unscrupulous hands.” Still, he says, risks remain. … On Friday, days before 23andMe's bankruptcy filing, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an urgent alert reminding 23andMe customers of their legal rights under state law — and called on them to consider deleting and destroying any genetic data held by the company. Bonta's office pointed to 23andMe's ongoing financial distress and “trove of sensitive consumer data” the company has amassed.
Of course, what you choose to do with your data is up to you. My data was not very interesting since I already knew the cousins I was connected to. The genetic distribution of where my DNA came from also contained no surprises other than about 268 Neanderthal remnants in my DNA (<2%), but my family tree came from known countries.
9News had this article today about how to remove your data from 23andMe’s computers:
The California attorney general's office provided these instructions for deleting your data: To delete your data from 23andMe: Log into your 23and Me account
Click “settings” under your profile
Click the section labeled “23andMe Data” near the bottom of the page
Click “view”
You can download your data if you’d like to keep a copy of it
Then scroll to the “delete data” section
Click “permanently delete data”
Confirm your request, then you’ll get an email from the company with a link to complete the request If you opted to allow 23andMe to keep your saliva test sample, you can request the company destroy it on the account settings page under “preferences.” You can also revoke permission for your data to be used for research by accessing the account settings page and looking for “research and product consents.”
It was fun while it lasted. With some scary new actors running the government, I think it’s a good idea to try and keep my data out of nefarious hands.
PS — I found their website slow. I have a feeling many people are trying to access this, so have patience and keep trying.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/25/2312529/-23-and-Me-Files-for-Bankruptcy-Act-Now-to-Save-or-Delete-Your-Data?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web
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