23AndMe customers are struggling to delete data

23andMe’s computer system is struggling to deal with the vast amount of customers in the race to remove data after the DNA testing company announces its filing for bankruptcy protection.

The company said earlier this week it resolved IT problems caused by increased website traffic.

However, users report on continued difficulties as they scrambled to protect genetic information, health history and ancestral details.

Many of those who successfully deleted the data have told the BBC about their ongoing anxiety about the future of 23andme.

The company filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection on Sunday to sell through the court’s oversight process.

“If 23andme is sold, my data can be sold from what I hear,” said Daniel Landrisina, 52, of Maryland. Ms. Landrisina signed up for 23andMe in 2018 to connect with members of the father’s side of the family.

“Is it like a health insurance company stopping someone from buying my data and then using it to determine if they have health insurance or how much do they have to pay?”

At this time, 23andme is with the insurance company that “will not voluntarily share your personal information,” our current privacy statement said.

But the future is not so sure. The May 14th auction of assets proposed by 23Andme could include genetic data from millions of customers.

To protect herself, Landriscina said she has tried multiple times to log in to her 23andMe account since Tuesday morning, both on her phone and on her web browser.

She was one of many customers who were asked to complete the login process via email using two-factor authentication.

She said she didn’t receive the verification code until the evening and only saw it after a 10-minute window to use the code.

Earlier in the day, the company’s online chat service advised them to try again later as traffic to their websites surged. Until Tuesday night, she was able to remove her account from the company’s database.

“If anyone has issues with accessing your account or deleting your data, you can go to a customer care site for support,” a 23andMe spokesman said in response to a BBC inquiry.

The company did not reply to subsequent emails detailing customer complaints that the BBC learned.

Pauline Long of Alabama also said she made multiple attempts to access her accounts early Tuesday morning.

“It’s a nightmare and I’m going to be more cautious about doing something online now,” Long told the BBC via email.

She said she had been waiting for two hours to chat with a customer service agent. She was ultimately able to delete her account by Tuesday evening, but she expressed skepticism about whether the company actually deleted her information.

“I’m worried about 23andme keeping the data,” Long said.

According to 23AndMe, deletion of accounts and associated data permanently deletes data associated with all profiles in your account.

Attorney generals in several US states, including California, Arizona, South Carolina and New York, advised 23andME clients to clean up information from their company’s databases, taking into account the sensitivity of the material they accumulated during their operating days.

“Every individual will have a different desire for risk and will assess their personal information differently,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta told the BBC by phone on Monday.

“It’s up to them to what they’re doing, but I wanted to advise them to remove it.”

On Friday, Bonta issued a consumer alert offering users a step-by-step guide on what to do as a sign of 23andme’s financial difficulties.

“It’s just these moments when it’s appropriate to remind you of the rights and protections you have. So you can decide whether and how to exercise those rights,” Bonta said.

According to 23AndMe, company buyers must comply with the laws applicable to how they handle their customers’ data, and transactions are subject to customary regulatory approval.

Customers who previously asked 23andMe to store their DNA samples can ask them to be destroyed.

For users who participate in 23AndMe’s research program, the company said that their personal information will no longer be used in future research projects.

23Andme said it will continue to protect customer data as stated in its privacy policy.

However, it acknowledged that “if you are involved in bankruptcy, mergers, acquisitions, restructurings, or selling assets, your personal information may be accessed, sold or transferred as part of the transaction.”

It states that the privacy statement applies to personal information when transferred to a new entity.

“We’ve been working hard to get into the world,” said Anya Prince, a professor at the University of Iowa College of Law.

However, Prince said the company also “could “change” its privacy statement.”

Michele Lewis, a 62-year-old genealogist from Georgia, said he found a process that made his data easier to delete than another attempt that was exposed to a waiting period several months ago.

“It was much easier and quickly removed,” Lewis told the BBC via email Tuesday. “I’ve never been too worried about privacy issues or hacking, but this isn’t the first time 23andme has had issues.”

In 2023, millions of 23andMe customer accounts were compromised in a major data breach. The company has reached a $30 million settlement resulting from a September violation.

Ms Lewis, who used the 23andMe test kit in 2008, said it wasn’t difficult to let go of the company.

“I rarely get to 23andme anymore anyway,” she said.

Some customers say the experience provides lessons.

“If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t have done this,” Ms Landrisina said. “To think profits are now, isn’t harmful to the possibility of selling my DNA. That’s very concerning.”