23andMe: How to protect your DNA as testing firm files for bankruptcy

The DNA testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy after months of concern over its financial health and its ability to keep users' genetic information secure.

- Johana Bhuiyan

In light of the uncertainty over the firm's future, you should do one thing to protect your privacy today: delete your 23andMe account.

If you have used the service to discover your ancestry via your DNA, the information you shared with 23andMe may transfer to the company's eventual buyer.

While 23andMe has privacy controls that allow users to opt out of sharing their data with scientific researchers, that could change under a new owner.

23andMe has insisted that any new owner would have to comply with existing laws around the sale and use of consumer genetic data. In 2023, 23andMe suffered a massive hack affecting about 7 million users.

The hackers revealed they gained access to the information when they attempted to sell what they claimed was the data of 1 million users of Ashkenazi Jewish descent and 100,000 users of Chinese descent on a popular hacking forum.