Genetic privacy alert: 23andMe’s bankruptcy puts your DNA data at risk

With user data now part of potential asset sales, EFF is urging all customers to act now:

Download your data — store it securely for personal use
Delete your account + data — this includes reports, raw data, and family tree connections
Revoke research consent — and explicitly request sample destruction

Why it matters:
• DNA reveals more than identity — it exposes health, ancestry, and family connections
• The data doesn’t just belong to you — it can implicate relatives who never opted in
• A new owner might not respect your privacy

Take control now. Your genes deserve better security than a bankruptcy fire sale.

#Privacy #DNA #DataRights #CyberSecurity #23andMe #DigitalRisk #security #privacy #cloud #infosec

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/how-delete-your-23andme-data

#23andMe is potentially selling more than just #genetic #data. The personal survey info is also a #privacy problem.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/23andme-genetic-data-personal-survey-information-privacy/
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2016.05.007

I'm a little late to the party because I wanted to download my raw data and had to wait in line for that. The report finally came through today.

Dang, what a bummer. I happily paid $500 for my 23andMe way back in the day. It was such a cool idea.

All good things end, I guess...

On our radar: How to delete your data from 23andMe

“As uncertainty about the company’s future reaches its peak, all eyes are on the trove of deeply personal—and potentially valuable—genetic data that #23andMe holds.”

Emily Mullin & @lhn, @WIRED

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-delete-your-data-from-23andme/

Just deleted my #23andMe data. I wanted to wait until I got a copy of that data but it was taking too long. Here's the steps if you haven't done it already.

Log in to your account
Go to "settings"
Scroll to "23andMe data"
Click "view"
Scroll to "delete data"
Click "permanently delete data"
Confirm your request

A little late, but Week 13 of the #Privacy Roundup is here. I'm just going to blame it on this cold.

This edition features:

- #Signalgate #signal
- 23andMe's bankruptcy - what's it mean for user genetic data?
- A man banned for life from a venue... based on data collected about him
- Sandbox escapes for #Firefox and #Chrome exploited in the wild (updates available)

... and more!

#privacymatters #cybersecurity #infosec #23andme

https://avoidthehack.com/privacy-week13-2025

We have decided to sunset openSNP at the end of April. While triggered by the sale of #23andme, @PhilippBayer @i_dabble & I had been thinking about this for a while.

Ultimately, we think that it's the most responsible act of data stewardship given the state of the world. I've written a retrospective of the last 14 years of the project:

https://tzovar.as/sunsetting-opensnp/

Latest issue of my curated #cybersecurity and #infosec list of resources for week #13/2025 is out!

It includes the following and much more:

➝ DNA of 15 Million People for Sale in #23andMe Bankruptcy,

➝ #Trump administration accidentally texted a journalist its war plans,

➝ Critical Ingress #NGINX controller vulnerability allows RCE without authentication,

➝ #Cyberattack hits Ukraine's state railway,

➝ Troy Hunt's Mailchimp account was successfully phished,

➝ #OpenAI Offering $100K Bounties for Critical #Vulnerabilities,

➝ #Meta AI is now available in #WhatsApp for users in 41 European countries... and cannot be turned off

Subscribe to the #infosecMASHUP newsletter to have it piping hot in your inbox every week-end

https://infosec-mashup.santolaria.net/p/infosec-mashup-13-2025

"This week, the genetic testing company 23andMe filed for bankruptcy, which means the genetic data the company collected on millions of users is now up for sale. If you do not want your data included in any potential sale, it’s a good time to ask the company to delete it.

When the company first announced it was considering a sale, we highlighted many of the potential issues, including selling that data to companies with poor security practices or direct links to law enforcement. With this bankruptcy, the concerns we expressed last year remain the same. It is unclear what will happen with your genetic data if 23andMe finds a buyer, and that uncertainty is a clear indication that you should consider deleting your data. California attorney general Rob Bonta agrees."

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/03/how-delete-your-23andme-data

Så er det slut med 23andme, og jeg skal se om jeg kan få mine data ud og slettet min konto inden nogen databrokers misbruger datasættet. Spørgsmålet er, om man er bedre beskyttet mod den slags som EU-borger?

#23andme (https://blog.voss.co/2025/s%C3%A5-er-det-slut-med-23andme-og)

Quite some years ago I did an identity swap with a good friend. We both ordered #23andMe testing sets, exchanged the sets and passwords. He sent his test back and used my identity to see the results. I decided to NOT send my test back. I still have the swab kit, unused. I will frame it and hang it up in my living room :)

How to… delete your 23andMe data

But truly deleting your personal genetic information from the DNA testing company is easier said than done.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/03/25/1105488/how-to-delete-your-23andme-data/

How to Delete Your Data From #23andMe

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-delete-your-data-from-23andme/

23andMe's bankruptcy has customers worried about the privacy of their genetic data @Engadget lays out the steps you can take to delete your records from the site. #23andMe #DataPrivacy #Tech #Technology https://flip.it/nRPW24

I was on #RTÉ radio news this morning talking about #23andMe and the #DataProtection implications of their #bankruptcy. It was a short bit.

But I am a divil for doing my homework before interviews so I wrote this longer piece that sets out the issues, what rights people have and how they can exercise them (including a template email), and the practical problems that might crop up when they do.

A hat tip to @privacat and @klillington for their work I reference.

https://castlebridge.ie/insights/23andyou/

It is important to understand that the personal data you give to a company becomes their "property". Even if a company that currently runs a service keeps the data private, it can be put up for sale. The new owners are then free to operate differently, especially when there is no GDPR like in the US.

https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/03/24/2022232/dna-of-15-million-people-for-sale-in-23andme-bankruptcy

DATE: March 24, 2025 at 06:07PM
SOURCE: HEALTHCARE INFO SECURITY

Direct article link at end of text block below.

#23andMe's #Bankruptcy: What Does it Mean for Data #Privacy? https://t.co/J1CEHSE1kI

Here are any URLs found in the article text:

https://t.co/J1CEHSE1kI

Articles can be found by scrolling down the page at https://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/ under the title "Latest"

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Healthcare security & privacy posts not related to IT or infosec are at @HIPAABot . Even so, they mix in some infosec with the legal & regulatory information.

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#security #healthcare #doctors #itsecurity #hacking #doxxing #psychotherapy #securitynews #psychotherapist #mentalhealth #psychiatry #hospital #socialwork #datasecurity #webbeacons #cookies #HIPAA #privacy #datanalytics #healthcaresecurity #healthitsecurity #patientrecords @infosec #telehealth #netneutrality #socialengineering

DNA of 15 Million People for Sale in 23andMe Bankruptcy

Just call them 23andWe.

On a more serious note, this is compounding the issue of sharing immutable information (like biometric data) with others - especially those with lax security practices, blame their lax security practices on the users, shares user data, and reserves the "right" to sell/transfer this data in the event an acquisition - or bankruptcy, in this case - happens.

#privacy #privacymatters #23andme #dna

https://www.404media.co/dna-of-15-million-people-for-sale-in-23andme-bankruptcy/

On Sunday, the genetic testing and heritage company 23andMe announced that it had entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy and was asking a court to arrange its sale. @ArsTechnica reports:
https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/03/genetic-testing-company-23andme-declares-bankruptcy/