R.On March 23, the genetic tests and information company announced that it had provided bankruptcy, after years of financial struggles and data privacy concerns.
And 23andme said in a press release. The news also comes amid management changes; According to the press statement, CEO Ann Wogiki stepped down her role, immediately, but will continue to work as a member of the Board of Directors. The company’s board of directors has chosen the Financial and Accounting Chairman Joe Silsafag to be the temporary CEO.
In the press statement, 23andme said it “intends to continue to run its business in the regular cycle throughout the sale. There are no changes to the way the company is stored, managed or protects the customer’s data.”
“We are committed to continuing to protect customer data and transparency regarding user data management to move forward, and data privacy will be important in any possible treatment,” said Mark Jensen, Chairman of the Special Committee of the Board of Directors.
However, some officials urge customers to think about deleting their data. A few days before the bankruptcy announcement, on March 21, California Prosecutor Rob Punta issued a consumer alert to 23andme as a customer, and advised them to think about deleting their data from the company’s website.
Punta said in a press release.
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Some technology experts also encouraged 23 and 23 users to delete their data. Merridith Whitaker, head of the correspondence application, He said In a post on X: “Not only you. If anyone in your family gives his DNA to 23 & Me, for all Sakes, close your account now. This will not solve the problem, but they will delete (they call) some of your data.”
In October 2024, NPR I mentioned On customer concerns about what might happen for their own data amid the financial challenges of the company. A spokesman for 23andme NPR told the company that the company is committed to privacy, but it will not answer questions about what the company might do with customer data. Legal experts said that there are a few federal protection for customers, and concern that sensitive data can be sold or even accessed by law enforcement, NPR said.
In his press statement on March 21, the Public Prosecutor’s Office set the steps that customers must take to delete their genetic data from 23andme: After logging in to your account, click on “Settings” and scroll down to the page to a section called “23andme Data”; Click “View”; Then you can download your data; Pass the “Data Delete” section and click “Delete the data permanently”. You will receive an email from 23andme after that, and you can follow the link in the email to confirm your request to delete your data.
If you have allowed 23andme to store a sample of saliva and DNA, you can change this preference by moving to the “Settings” page on your account, within “Preferences”. If you have previously allowed 23ndme and third parties using your genetic data and sample for search purposes, you can also cancel this approval from the “Settings” page, under “search approvals and product”.
In addition to years of financial challenges, 23andme deals with the repercussions of A. Back to the data In 2023, which affected nearly 7 million customers.