In light of the recent Chapter 11 bankruptcy announcement from genetic testing giant 23andMe, the Washington Attorney General's Office is emphasizing the significance of data privacy for residents. According to their latest consumer alert, cited by the official statement, Washingtonians should be aware of their rights to manage and even delete their genetic information collected by the company.
While 23andMe, which boasts a database containing the genetic secrets of over 15 million people, has promised there will be no immediate changes in data practices, the attorney general is taking no chances. Future operations are uncertain, hanging on the hope of finding a new owner who respects the established data privacy protocols; however, the guardrails for data protection cannot be guaranteed with potential ownership changes on the horizon.
The Attorney General's office has pointed to the state's My Health My Data Act that places the control of health and genetic data solidly in the hands of the consumer. This act ensures that residents have the prerogative to retract consent, request data deletion, and learn if their information has been exchanged or peddled. "State law gives consumers the right to withdraw consent, request data deletion and verify whether their data has been shared or sold," states the consumer alert. It also stipulates the right to receive a catalog of secondary parties who have been handed their data.
For those Washingtonians who are looking to sever ties with 23andMe, a series of steps have been outlined to remove personal and genetic information securely. Starting from logging into one's 23andMe account and navigating to "Settings," users can find the "Delete Data" option near the page's bottom. Before this irreversible step, they can download their data, a move advised in the rare case that personal storage becomes a necessity in the future. As the sample has been given to 23andMe, with a few more strategic clicks in the account settings under "Preferences," consumers can decide to ditch their sample storage arrangement too.
Moreover, those who have at some point in the past allowed their genetic data to assist the endeavors of 23andMe and allied researchers, there remains the opportunity to recant. A withdrawal can be processed from the same settings page under "Research and Product Consents," putting an end to any future data use in research partnerships. With these tools laid out by the Washington Attorney General's Office, the residents possess at their fingertips the power to safeguard their genetic blueprints from being potentially mishandled during the turmoil of corporate restructuring.
