I remember the ads for 23andMe. I went for it when I saw their “half-price” Black Friday deal come around. I got the mailer, spit in a tube, and some later, I got the results. It was neat, but that was it. And that was the problem for 23andMe…it was a one-time deal. No repeat business bc once you had your data… it was done.
Recently, the entire business has been falling apart. The board of directors saw no future and all quit in one day. That was only a month ago
Here’s Why You Should Be Concerned
23andMe is not bound by any health privacy laws like HIPAA. The company’s privacy policy makes it abundantly clear that your DNA data is up for grabs. So if/when 23andMe goes for sale… your DNA Data goes with it.
Now… Imagine advertisers targeting one of your genetic traits. Imagine your insurance premiums going up over some incorrect data in the report. Imagine a medical surgery being delayed or denied over this. Maybe that life insurance claim that you’ve put in gets declined over something frivolous. Can you see the problem?
This isn’t too far-fetched. There are no congressional laws on this stuff. It’s new territory.
So How Do You Delete Your 23andMe Data?
First off, even when you have it “deleted”, it is not deleted. It is only “marked” as deleted. I believe they have 30 days to comply. So get to it. Here’s what you need to do. Ready?
1) Log in to your 23andMe account
2) On the TOP RIGHT of the page, click on the orb with your initials on it (or picture). This will reveal a menu.
3) From this menu, select “SETTINGS”
4) Scroll to the very bottom where it says “23andMe Data” and click on “View”
5) Enter your Birthday to confirm your identity
6) Scroll to the very bottom of this page as well and select “Permanently Delete Your Data”
7) You’re almost there! Check your email for the confirmation request. In that email, find the big red button that says “Permanently Delete All Records”
If you do this in the right order, you should finally see this screen. That’s when you know that you’ve done all that you could do.

23andMe has nothing to offer its buyers other than this data. Please do this as soon as you can. Of course, if you need help with any of this, please let me know.