15 million people at risk of having DNA sold after company files for bankruptcy

People who signed up to use the services of biotechnology company 23andMe have been warned that the data about their DNA could be at risk after it filed for bankruptcy.

23andMe offered DNA testing to find your ancestry where you could send in a sample and they'd tell you as much as they could about your body and your family.

However, the company announced on Sunday (23 March) that it had 'initiated voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings', which is American for a certain type of bankruptcy.

It's typically known as a 'reorganisation bankruptcy', where the company is given time to sort out their debts and finances, in this case 'to facilitate a sale process to maximize the value of its business'.

The company said they were doing this 'to commence a process to sell substantially all of its assets', but that also includes the information they have amassed over their years of operation.

23andMe has filed Chapter 11, which means it's functionally bankrupt and sorting out its finances ahead of an attempt to find buyers (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

If and when someone buys 23andMe, that'd mean they might also get all of that information from about 15 million customers who've signed up their very personal information.

Given the company's financial difficulties, California Attorney General Rob Bonta had already sent out a warning to people reminding them of their right to have their data deleted.

He said: "Given 23andMe’s reported financial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company."

For people who've used 23andMe and want to do that, they should go to their account on the site and hop into 'settings', scroll down until you find a bit called '23andMe Data', hit 'View', download your own data and then scroll to the 'Delete Data' option, telling the site to 'Permanently Delete Data' when offered.

You'll get an email from 23andMe about this asking if you're sure and confirm your request.

A warning has been sent out to 23andMe users that a potential buyer could acquire their data and DNA sample, and reminded people they could demand the company get rid of the records (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)

You can also tell 23andMe to destroy the DNA sample you sent them, as customers had the option of letting the company keep the sample in storage.

If you hop into the 'Preferences' bit of your account and tell them you don't want them to keep that sample then they'll have to get rid of it.

You might also want to check out the 'Research and Product Consents' section in your account settings and tell 23andMe that you no longer consent to your data being used by them or third-party researchers.

Back in 2023, Wired reported that 23andMe was targeted with a hack that affected seven million people's data.

This hack led to a series of costly lawsuits.