Delete your DNA from 23andMe right now; The Washington Post, March 24, 2025

 Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Washington Post; Delete your DNA from 23andMe right now

"The company said there will be “no changes” to the way it protects consumer data while in bankruptcy court. But unless you take action, there is a risk your genetic information could end up in someone else’s hands — and used in ways you had never considered. It took me just a minute to delete my data on the 23andMe website, and I’ve got instructions on how to do it below.

It’s a privacy nightmare, but also an example of how state privacy laws pioneered in California can help protect Americans — at least the proactive ones...

The California Consumer Protection Act of 2018 gives you the right to delete data from businesses that collect it. While the law specifically applies to California residents, many other states have passed similar laws.

And California also has a separate law pertaining to DNA data, called the Genetic Information Privacy Act. It gives you the right to delete your account, have your biological sample destroyed, and revoke consent you may have previously given to use or disclose your genetic data."

This is the best privacy setting that almost no one is using; The Washington Post, September 6, 2024

 Shira Ovide, The Washington Post; This is the best privacy setting that almost no one is using

"Privacy laws in some states, notably California, give people the right to tell most businesses not to sell or share information they collect or in some cases to delete data about you. Some companies apply California’s privacy protections to everyone.

To take advantage of those privacy rights, though, you often must fill out complicated forms with dozens of companies. Hardly anyone does. The opt-out rights give you power in principle, but not in practice.

But baked into some state privacy laws is the option to enlist someone else to handle the legwork for you.

That wand-wielding privacy fairy godmother can be Consumer Reports, whose app can help you opt out of companies saving and selling your data. Even better, the godmother could just be a checkbox you click once to order every company to keep your data secret."