California Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a consumer alert urging users of 23andMe, a personal genomics company, to delete their genetic data as soon as possible. This recommendation comes amid reports of the company's significant financial distress, including "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue operations.
This is not a joke—immediate action is recommended!
Due to growing concerns about the security and future of 23andMe, the Compton Chamber strongly urges all users of this platform to delete their data from the company's database. With reports of significant financial instability, as well as security breaches exposing personal information, the safety of your sensitive data could be at risk.
23andMe has amassed extensive sensitive consumer data, including genetic information. Given the company's financial instability, there are concerns about the security and future handling of this data. Attorney General Bonta emphasized that Californians have also the right under state law to request the deletion of their genetic data and the destruction of any stored biological samples.
To delete your genetic data from 23andMe, you can follow these steps:
Log into your 23andMe account on their website.
Navigate to the "Settings" section of your profile.
Scroll to the "23andMe Data" section at the bottom of the page.
Click "View" next to "23andMe Data".
Download your data if you wish to keep a personal copy.
Scroll to the "Delete Data" section.
Click "Permanently Delete Data".
Confirm your request by following the instructions sent to your email.
Additionally, if you previously consented to have your genetic data used for research, you can revoke this permission in your account settings under "Research and Product Consents."
This alert follows a series of challenges faced by 23andMe, including a significant data breach in 2023 that exposed the personal information of approximately 6.9 million users. The breach targeted users who had opted into the 'DNA Relatives' feature, leading to concerns about privacy and data security.
Given these developments, users concerned about the security of their genetic data may consider deleting their accounts or adjusting their data-sharing preferences through 23andMe's platform.
OPINION
The bankruptcy of 23andMe isn’t just a corporate failure—it’s a full-scale civil liberties disaster in the making. With 15 million people's genetic data sitting in legal limbo, we are now staring down the barrel of a dystopian future where your DNA could be auctioned off to the highest bidder. This isn’t speculation—it’s spelled out in their own privacy policy: in the event of bankruptcy, your most intimate biological information can be sold, transferred, or accessed. That means Big Pharma, Big Tech, foreign governments, insurance companies, or even adversarial actors could get their hands on the very code that makes you you.
Unlike credit cards or passwords, your genetic blueprint is permanent. You can’t reset it. And now it’s up for grabs—along with the DNA of your family members, many of whom never consented to this nightmare. The public was sold a lie under the guise of curiosity and heritage. What they got instead was surveillance-level vulnerability wrapped in a novelty kit.
This isn’t just about privacy. It’s about autonomy, identity, and national security. And most people are still asleep at the wheel. The collapse of 23andMe is a red siren screaming from the rooftop: your DNA is no longer yours. Wake up.
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