23andMe's interim CEO Joseph Selsavage recently told Congress that roughly 1.9 million of customers (or about 15% of its 15 million users) have already asked to delete their genetic data amid the company's Chapter 11 bankruptcy and looming sale to pharmaceutical maker Regeneron.

I was one of 23andMe's early adopters. I wanted to trace my French and Ashkenazi Jewish roots, and in its early days, the service provided fascinating family-history insights. But after nearly two decades of growth -- peaking at a $6 billion valuation in 2021 -- 23andMe is a shell of its former self. Its pivot to drug research and development failed to gain traction, and a major October 2023 data breach torpedoed any remaining customer trust, driving the company to lose over 99% of its value by 2024.

Also: A drug developer is buying 23andMe - what does that mean for your DNA data?

Now, with millions of genetic profiles -- including mine -- caught in bankruptcy limbo, there are worries about who will control this vast trove of sensitive DNA data. California's attorney general has even urged customers to delete their records, pointing out that, unlike medical information protected under HIPAA, direct-to-consumer genomic data lacks strong federal privacy safeguards. 

If you're uneasy about your genetic information falling into the wrong hands -- or tied indefinitely to pharmaceutical research you didn't explicitly authorize -- you still have the power to delete it. Here's how.

How to delete your 23andMe data

What you'll need:A 23andMe account and the ability to access your account either from a PC or a mobile device. 

Security

How AI agents help hackers steal your confidential data - and what to do about it

This new tool lets you see how much of your data is exposed online - and it's free

How a researcher with no malware-coding skills tricked AI into creating Chrome infostealers

That weird CAPTCHA could be a malware trap - here's how to protect yourself

• How AI agents help hackers steal your confidential data - and what to do about it
• This new tool lets you see how much of your data is exposed online - and it's free
• How a researcher with no malware-coding skills tricked AI into creating Chrome infostealers
• That weird CAPTCHA could be a malware trap - here's how to protect yourself