BOISE, Idaho — Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued a consumer protection alert after 23andMe, the genetic testing company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The company, which provides health and ancestry information based on genetic samples, disclosed that it intends to sell its corporate assets, potentially including customers stored genetic data.
“There is nothing more personal than an individual’s genetic information,” said Attorney General Labrador, “and allowing that to be sold off to the highest bidder raises serious consumer protection concerns for privacy. I want to make sure that 23andMe customers in Idaho have every opportunity to protect their genetic data.”
According to online sources, consumers who submitted data can withdraw consent for its storage by following these steps:
Log into your account and navigate to Settings.Under Settings, scroll to the section titled 23andMe data. Select View.You may be asked to enter your date of birth for extra security. In the next section, you’ll be asked which, if any, personal data you’d like to download from the company (onto a personal, not public, computer). Once you’re finished, scroll to the bottom, and select Permanently delete data.You should then receive an email from 23andMe detailing its account deletion policy and requesting that you confirm your request. Once you confirm you’d like your data deleted, the deletion will begin automatically, and you’ll immediately lose access to your account.
Additionally, consumers can use the Consumer Reports App to request the deletion of personal data from 23andMe or other genetic testing companies.
Those who submitted genetic samples to other companies should check if their data is stored and request its deletion if necessary.
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