In This Article
In This Article
Testing your DNA has become convenient nowadays. And it’s all thanks to direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA.
These at-home DNA tests offer easy ways to learn more about yourself and your heritage.
DNA testing also provides insight into possible health risks. It can motivate you to make the right dietary and lifestyle changes, so you can help prevent any potential congenital disorders or chromosomal conditions.
But when you send your DNA sample to testing companies, you also hand them essential information about you.
Here are some things that can potentially happen to your data:
There are many ways you to keep yourself safe from the dangers of sharing your DNA1. One of them is to ask the company to delete your DNA test results from their database.
We made an ultimate guide to deleting your data from the following companies:
If you’ve submitted your DNA samples to any testing service and never deleted your information, chances are the companies still have them.
Not only that, but some companies will also continue to store your sample unless you ask them to be destroyed.
DNA testing companies can sell your genetic data or even share it with law enforcement and third parties like medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies.
Testing services that work with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certified labs are also required to keep records of your DNA, sex, and birth date for quality control.
You should read a company’s privacy policies to find out who has access to your DNA.
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DNA testing services have security measures and privacy policies to protect their customers. They know how sensitive your data is. So they have taken precautions to ensure its safety.
However, the steps that DNA companies take are not entirely foolproof.
Hackers, law enforcers, insurance companies, and other third parties can access your information as long as your raw data file remains on your DNA testing company's database.
Below are some examples where genetic information was compromised:
If you’re concerned about the security and privacy of your raw DNA, you should ask for your sample to be destroyed and your data to be permanently deleted.
You can download your raw DNA before deleting your information.
23andMe allows you to delete your account and most of your data. However, there are some things you need to know about the privacy of your DNA with 23andMe:
To delete your raw DNA, login into 23andMe:
Click the Settings tab and scroll down to the very bottom. You’ll then find the option to delete your data.
If you click the view link, you can see the option to delete your data permanently.
23andMe will delete your DNA data permanently after 30 days.
You can also request to discard your saliva sample and delete your 23andMe account. Visit the Customer Care page and navigate to Accounts and Registration. You’ll see the options in a bulleted list. Select Requesting Account Closure. Then you can ask 23andMe to destroy your spit sample.
Ancestry allows you to delete your DNA data and your account. Here’s how the company protects your privacy:
To delete your account, log into your account and navigate to this page. This will bring you to the following screen:
Follow the steps to delete your Ancestry data. But if you want to destroy your spit sample, you must call Member Services.
You need to ask LivingDNA to delete your data and account. Unfortunately, they are not transparent (which isn’t a good sign for your DNA security).
There is little information on the type of data they store and if they keep your DNA samples or discard them. LivingDNA also doesn’t let you delete your data. They delete it themselves.
When requesting to delete your data from their database, you will be asked to fill out a form:
MyHeritage has a robust privacy policy. It allows you to revoke your permissions at any time. You can also delete your DNA results permanently and ask them to destroy your sample.4
You can ask MyHeritage to discard your DNA sample by emailing privacy@myheritage.com. The following steps will help you delete your DNA data.
First, go to the DNA tab on the top menu bar and select Manage DNA Kits.
Click the three vertical dots on the kit you want to be deleted. Select Delete your data:
According to GPS Origins, they destroy your sample after they extract your DNA data. To delete your DNA data, you must contact GPS Origins.
I contacted HomeDNA and was informed that their IT team would have to process the DNA deletion.
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