On Friday, days before 23andMe’s bankruptcy filing, California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an urgent alert reminding 23andMe customers of their legal rights under state law – and called on them to consider deleting and destroying any genetic data held by the company. Bonta’s office pointed to 23andMe’s ongoing financial distress and the “trove of sensitive consumer data” the company has amassed.
Months of turmoil
23andMe was founded in 2006 with a promise to revolutionise the future of genetics and health care. The company became known for its saliva-based DNA testing kits – purchased by millions of customers eager to learn more about their ancestry – and later dived further into health research and drug…