ST. LOUIS – Aaron Rose’s interest in the 23andMe bankruptcy is personal.

“I’m a 23andMe customer,” he said.

It’s also professional. Rose is also a data security and privacy expert with Check Point Software Technologies.

“Can that genetic data be sold off to a third party? And how do we ensure, you know, that they are going to abide by the original privacy policy set forth by 23andMe that all the consumers agreed to?” Rose said. “Unfortunately, right now, there’s more questions than there are answers.”

In its bankruptcy filing, 23andMe insists its users’ data is safe, writing, “The chapter 11 filing does not change how we store, manage, or protect customer data. Our users’ privacy and data are important considerations in any transaction… Any buyer of 23andMe will be required to comply with applicable law with respect to the treatment of customer data.”

“There isn’t really a precedence that we’ve set in the past with this, because we’ve never had a situation where immutable genetic data is, you know, in question and is going to be deliberated in the courts as to who can purchase this or who’s going to take ownership of it,” Rose said.

Rose says there are things 23andMe customers can do to take action.

“You can log in, go to your profile, go to settings, you can look through and understand where your data has been shared, what you’ve opted into, and what data they’ve collected about you,” he said.

“You need to decide if you want to keep your data with 23andMe or, if you want to remove that, you can request that it be deleted. And I would highly advise that everyone at least consider downloading a copy of that data as a backup as well.”

The following information comes from the office of the California Attorney General:

To Delete Genetic Data from 23andMe:

Consumers can delete their account and personal information by taking the following steps:
Log into your 23andMe account on their website.
Go to the “Settings” section of your profile.
Scroll to a section labeled “23andMe Data” at the bottom of the page.
Click “View” next to “23andMe Data”
Download your data: If you want a copy of your genetic data for personal storage, choose the option to download it to your device before proceeding.
Scroll to the “Delete Data” section.
Click “Permanently Delete Data.”
Confirm your request: You’ll receive an email from 23andMe; follow the link in the email to confirm your deletion request.

To Destroy Your 23andMe Test Sample:

If you previously opted to have your saliva sample and DNA stored by 23andMe, but want to change that preference, you can do so from your account settings page, under “Preferences.”

To Revoke Permission for Your Genetic Data to be Used for Research:

If you previously consented to 23andMe and third-party researchers to use your genetic data and sample for research, you may withdraw consent from the account settings page, under “Research and Product Consents.”