DCN statement about 23andMe filing for bankruptcy
We wanted to address the news about 23andMe filing for bankruptcy this week.
BBC News report on 23andMe filing for bankruptcy
There has been a lot of discussion online about the situation and it’s implications. If you’re unaware, 23andMe is one of the direct-to-consumer (DTC) home DNA testing sites. These DNA testing websites have had a big impact on the donor conception community. Home DNA tests have uncovered family secrets unintentionally, including the fact that someone is donor conceived or a relative was a donor. It’s also been used by donor conceived people actively seeking information about their genetic roots, ethnicity or genetic relatives, including their donor or half siblings.
In any case, 23andMe is a hugely popular site holding the private data of over 15 million people worldwide and, understandably, those individuals want to understand what the implications are of the company going bankrupt, along with working out what they should do in terms of their data.
We’ve had contact with Debbie Kennett, a genetic genealogist based in the UK. She recommends that people read this excellent article in Family Tree Magazine (link below). Family Tree Magazine went through the bankruptcy process themselves and emerged safely, so they are perhaps in a good position to provide some insight.
23andMe Files for Bankruptcy: What Genealogists Need to Know
Debbie is leaving her data on 23andMe for now and is suggesting people don’t remove their data immediately and instead suggests they wait and see how things evolve.
Useful set of FAQs for customers
Open letter to customers published on their blog
We’ll be watching as things unfold and will provide an update if we feel it’s helpful.
