How to delete genetic data from 23andMe

The Washington Attorney General’s Office (AGO) wants you to know your rights when it comes to your DNA data.

In the wake of the direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe’s bankruptcy filing on March 23, the AGO released a statement reminding Washingtonians of “their right to genetic data privacy and ability to request data deletion.”

“While the company has said it will not make any changes to the ways it ‘stores, manages or protects’ consumer data, its future is unclear,” said the statement. “The company intends to find new ownership but there are no guarantees how new owners would run the company, which holds private genetic data for more than 14 million people.”

The state’s My Health My Data Act gives consumers the right to withdraw consent, request data deletion and verify whether their data has been sold or shared, along with obtaining a list of all third parties who have received their data. In short, sensitive health data, which includes genetic data, is protected by state law from being collect, shared or sold without a person’s consent or authorization.

How to delete genetic data from 23andMe

• Log into your 23andMe account on their website.

• Go to the “Settings” section of your profile.

• Scroll to a section labeled “23andMe Data” at the bottom of the page.

• Click “View” next to “23andMe Data”

• Download your data: If you want a copy of your genetic data for personal storage, choose the option to download it to your device before proceeding.

• Scroll to the “Delete Data” section.

• Click “Permanently Delete Data”

• Confirm your request: You will receive an email from 23andMe; follow the link to the email to confirm your deletion request.

To destroy your 23andMe Test Sample

If you previously consented to 23andMe and third-party researchers to use your genetic data and sample for research, you may withdraw consent from the account settings pages, under “Research and Product Consents”