By Erin Renfroe 1 year ago

23andMe and your genetic information

From the Facebook page: The genetic genealogist community is abuzz. What's next, as 23&Me moves into Chapter 11 bankruptcy? Some speculate that founder Anne Wojcicki, who resigned as CEO, will attempt to buy the company. Will she face competition from a pharmaceutical company, another genealogy company, or an investment group? Only time will tell. Check the list below for things you can do in the meantime, if you have DNA on the site, and add your own constructive suggestions.

(1) You can download your match list. Follow the steps in the video on this page (tip: pause the video after each step, go do that step, and come back). Do this for each kit you manage. https://www.genealogyexplained.com/json-to-csv-converter-for-23andme-matches/

(2) Go through your messages and let people who've communicated with you know where they can reach you off 23&Me. Of course, this depends on if they look back at their messages.


(3) Download your raw data. On the website: Click on profile picture --> Click on Resources --> Click on blue button that says "Browse Data" --> Near the top of the page click "Download" --> enter the date of birth associated with the profile -- Check the box near the bottom of the page and click "Submit."

(4) If you haven't already, you can upload your Raw DNA from 23&Me to MyHeritage or FamilyTreeDNA explore cousin matches there for free. You can purchase access to additional features for a small fee (less than the cost of testing again).

(5) If you paid for health analysis at any point, look under the health tab and download any available reports.

(6) Some people are deleting their data. Several state attorneys general have recommended this step, while some genealogists suggest waiting to see what happens, and who ends up in charge of the company. There will be time to delete the data if you don't trust the buyer.