Following 23andMe's recent bankruptcy filing, the Washington State Attorney General's Office has reminded residents about their rights regarding genetic data privacy. 23andMe, a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company, has collected sensitive genetic data from over 15 million individuals.
The company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 23, claims it will maintain current methods for storing and protecting consumer data. However, the potential for new ownership raises uncertainties about future data management procedures.
In light of these developments, Washingtonians are encouraged to utilize their rights under the state’s My Health My Data Act. This legislation ensures that residents' sensitive health and genetic data cannot be collected or sold without proper consent. It allows individuals to withdraw consent, request data deletion, and verify data sharing practices. Consumers can also acquire a list of third parties who received their data.
Steps to delete genetic data from 23andMe include logging into the account, navigating to the settings to view data, downloading data for personal storage, and then following prompts to permanently delete the data. Further actions allow users to revoke permission for future use of their genetic data for research, as well as destroy any stored DNA samples.
The Washington Attorney General's Office serves the state by enforcing various protection laws and offering legal services to state agencies and residents.