The Utah News Dispatch reports the data is for sale, stoking fears about how it might be used, and prompting attorneys general across the U.S. to warn consumers: delete your data.
That includes the Office of the Utah Attorney General and the state’s Department of Commerce’s Division of Consumer Protection which are reminding residents of their rights and protections under the Utah Consumer Privacy Act and the Genetic Information Privacy Act.
Utah is one of more than a dozen states that have passed some version of a genetic information privacy law that sets privacy requirements for direct-to-consumer DNA testing companies.
Generally, the laws require companies to get customer consent before using or sharing their data, and lets them request their genetic data be deleted and biological samples destroyed.
Utahns who have sent data to 23andMe have the right to rescind access to their data and request 23andMe to delete their account and genetic data.
Customers can also request the destruction of genetic samples through the settings tab on their 23andMe account.
23andMe was an industry giant until its stock price plummeted following a massive 2023 data breach that affected nearly 7 million customers. Then came a $30 million class-action lawsuit settlement.
The company declared bankruptcy in late March of this year, and announced it’s up for sale.
