Leslie Weikle
on March 24, 2025
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An attorney general issued a chilling warning to the millions of customers of California-based 23andMe, urging them to 'delete your data' immediately as the company faces impending bankruptcy.
23andMe, a biotech company offering genetic testing through saliva samples to provide personalized health and ancestry reports, has been facing the threat of closure after its stock value sharply declined in 2021.
Attorney General Rob Bonta is now urging the company's 15 million customers to delete their genetic information, as the fate of this vast, sensitive information remains uncertain if the firm shuts down.
'Given 23andMe's reported financial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company,' Bonta said in a statement.
The statement, released on Friday, reminded state residents to invoke their right to privacy under the Genetic Information Privacy Act and California Consumer Protection Act.
The California Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA), which took effect in 2022, enhances the protections established by the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), specifically safeguarding the privacy of genetic data.
Under the act, companies are required to obtain explicit consent for collection, use and disclosure of genetic data. Additionally, it grants consumers the right to access and delete their data at any time.
Concerned customers can permanently delete their 23andMe account and personal information by logging into their account, navigating the 'settings' section and scrolling down to the '23andMe' data section at the bottom of the webpage.
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