How to Delete Your Data From 23andMe, Ancestry, and Other Sites

Consumer Reports ^ | 1/29/2019 | Kevin Loria

[RightGeek]

Worried about your privacy after taking an at-home DNA test? Here's what you should know and what you can do.

If you’ve sent a DNA sample such as a tube of spit to 23andMe, Ancestry, MyHeritage, or one of the many other companies that offer direct-to-consumer genetic testing, you’ve sent them the essential information they need to provide you with their analysis of your genetic code.

[SNIP] But if you later decide that you want to remove your genetic information from the web for privacy reasons, can you? And should you?

Genetic data can reveal information about your health, your risk for certain diseases, and your familial relationships—potentially including those previously unknown or undisclosed.

But deleting your genetic data is not always straightforward, according to James Hazel, Ph.D., J.D., a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Genetic Privacy and Identity in Community Settings at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The degree to which you have control over the genetic information you’ve submitted, and even your physical DNA sample, “varies widely, depending on the company,” says Hazel, who has published research on the privacy policies of genetic testing companies.

“Some companies provide a relatively high level of control over that information,” he says, making deletion of genetic data or destruction of a genetic sample easy. “On the other side of the spectrum you have companies with little to no policy in place, or policies that permit storage of your sample and the data, sometimes indefinitely.”

We'll explain what you need to know about your genetic privacy, along with step-by-step instructions for removing your data from three of the biggest DNA-testing sites.

[RightGeek]

It's just common sense. "Don't take your business on the street"

[Kalamata]

Gov’t has been working hand in hand with these companies to develop a national gov’t DNA database, much like the fingerprint data.

I guess one could protect one’s DNA info from the general public, but no way from the government.

[TADSLOS]

Delete Your Data...

That’s cute.

[Slyfox]

23andMe is connected to Silicon Valley and they plan to do more with the DNA they get from you than just hooking up people to who you are related to.

I would not do 23andMe.

[Dr. Sivana]

Since it is amil in, what would stop you from giving them a bogus name etc. to tie the report too, especially if you send it from a friends or a private box?

[rey]

It has been interesting that arrests and prosecutions resulting from DNA tests have not been challenged on 5th amendment grounds. In many cases, the DNA tests were those of family members that came up close to the DNA they were looking for. Never, in any of the stories or cases, is it questioned how law enforcement had access to such information. If any other company gave up info without a warrant being served, they would find themselves in all sorts of trouble and law suits.

[SaveFerris]

[Delete Your Data...

That’s cute.]

True. Thank goodness there won’t be any backups at some gubmint facility!

[discostu]

Not gonna help. Best case scenario it’ll still be on the backups which they can get to if they really want (are ordered) to. Data is permanent.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

No way in heck!

[SaveFerris]

[Gov’t has been working hand in hand with these companies to develop a national gov’t DNA database, much like the fingerprint data.]

THAT could land you on the nut-job conspiracy ping list! (almost)

[Delta 21]

Where is the article on how to delete what the NSA has on me?

[Maskot]

Getting to know you 🎶 Getting to know ALL about youuuu 🎶 Getting to screw you Hoping you like getting screwed Idiots! Anyone who PAYS a company to accept their DNA deserves everything coming their way. Btw: erase it from the internet? How’d it get there in the first place? Thought it was “anonymous “?

[Slyfox]

Hey, I am all for messing with 23andMe. The plan as I remember from the gal who started it was to hand over DNA to the federal government to use as they see fit.

[sloanrb]

The DNA from the services is not submitted to the court. What it does is narrows the suspect pool. Police then obtain a different DNA sample from the suspect, either by picking up a discarded cigarette or cup or by taking a cheek swab. It is this evidence that is submitted to court.

All the Ancestry/23andMe service does is narrow the suspect pool. Not saying it isn’t creepy, but it isn’t directly used as evidence

[RainMan]

I adamantly refuse to participate in these scams. My daughter chose to have one done, and it came back and told her that she was 1/4 Scandinavian. I told her it was BS, because a) I personally knew all of her grandparents and there was no Scandinavian blood listed or claimed by any of them. b) I did the family genealogy 20 years ago back to the 15-1600's, and did not find a single Scandinavian ancestor (not many Scandinavian Amish back in the 17-1800's). They also said she was 1% black. (Needless to say, with 17 generations of records on my side, that is a Narf.) They also told her she had 0% American Indian blood, even though the family came to America in the the 1500's and rode a covered wagon over the Oregon Trail. If ANY ethnicity were to creep in, I would think Indian would be it.

That brings up another point. I heard that they purposely tell everyone they are approx. 1% African, in order to make people less racist. In short, they are lying for political ends. If you assume 25 years (+/-) per generation, this means that for a 25 y.o today, one of their GGGGG Grandparents, running around in 1800 was creating mixed race children, and one of the mixed race children was a direct ancestor. Sorry, that was not common back then, and seeing how history recorded the brothers that killed each other because the one was sleeping with the other's wife, and the GGGGG aunt that was kidnapped by the Indians and married into the tribe, I doubt a black ancestor would have been hidden.

In short, I believe these sites exist for the SINGLE purpose of collecting DNA so that they can be subpoenaed at some future point to deny medical claims once government healthcare is the only option.

[TADSLOS]

LMAO!

[Blogger]

I’ve had both Ancestry and 23andMe do my DNA and then submitted it to GedMatch. So far, I’ve found a few relatives and that I have a gene for Age related macular degeneration that isn’t likely to affect me one way or the other and a gene for Celiac disease that slightly increases my risk of getting it.

DNA or no DNA if you don’t think the gov’t knows pretty much anything meaningful about you, you’re delusional.

Haven’t fully understood why people get worked up over access to DNA. Could they create a supergerm that wipes you out because they know of genetic vulnerability? Yeah. But, if we are at that point, it would probably be a better end.

[SaveFerris]

In the 1980’s we had one (OS/VMS) job that ran each month specifically to collect data for the IRS (actually taking skimmed data and creating the IRS tape). Which was totally understandable since we were a bank.

And we always kept 7 years of backup data. And that was just us (I think it was a law).

Given how cheap storage is these days, some of that data is going to be out there until Jesus Returns.

[Sergio]

bkmk

[Kalamata]

Given the spooks’ track record, not to believe so would be profoundly naive.