Alberta’s privacy commissioner is reminding Albertans to protect themselves after 23andMe filed for bankruptcy.
The genetic services company filed last month in an American court, with assets including data from genomic sequencing activities.
In a Thursday release, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta said media reports indicate 23andMe holds DNA samples in cases where customers chose to leave them with the company and that it has been approved by a court to sell assets including data holdings.
“Genetic information is one of the most sensitive types of personal information that exists,” Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta Diane McLeod said.
“Advances in the processing of the human genome, along with the falling price of genetic sequencing, mean that virtually anyone can obtain information about their ancestry, risk of hereditary diseases, and even psychological and behavioural predispositions such as risk of depression or sensitivity to addiction.
“While this has the potential to enable great advances in treatment, it also makes genetic information a valuable and desired asset. Any breach of such sensitive personal information not only affects that individual, but also members of their extended biological family.”
McLeod said there are multiple ways for people to protect any personal information held by 23andMe, including:
- adjusting setting to choose whether or not to participate in research, share their data or participate in biobanking;
- deleting their 23andMe account and data on the platform; and
- requesting to destroy physical DNA samples through the 23andMe customer service portal.
More information and guidance on genetic testing can be found on the privacy commissioner’s website.
Correction
A previous version of this story incorrectly attributed information from the the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta to the Government of Alberta. In fact, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta operates independently of government.
