Do NOT Delete Your 23andMe Kit Yet

Meme by Wyrm419 

MARCH 28, 2025 — Ever since direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe announced on Sunday, March 23, 2025, that it was filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection and CEO Anne Wojcicki was stepping down, there's been no shortage of click-bait headlines, misleading news articles and even politicians urging 23andMe customers to immediately delete their DNA kits, along with instructions on how to do it.

Many 23andMe customers fell victim to the obtuse fear-mongering infiltrating social media and decided to delete their kits. In fact, they were in such a rush to delete their kits that it caused 23andMe's computer systems to struggle to keep up. And of course, there were newer rumors about customers experiencing difficulty in deleting their kits because 23andMe didn't want them to do so. 

People have asked me if I was going to join the masses and do the same, or if they should delete their kit(s)?  The answer is a resounding, NO! I REFUSE TO DELETE MY KIT. And you shouldn't either just yet. Here's why:

(1) 23andMe NEVER claimed it was going out of business. 

23andMe is still open for business, and will operate as usual. Your access remains unchanged. Orders and subscriptions remain the same. Your data remains protected (after the data hack in 2023). CEO Anne Wojcicki simply intends to take the company back private; 23andMe became a publicly-traded company in 2021. 

(2) 23andMe NEVER alleged it was bankrupt. 

23andMe has faced all sorts of difficulties because of the FDA estoppel in 2013 and the Data Hack in 2023. The company is now VOLUNTARILY filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, which is a REORGANIZATION / RESTRUCTURING process that businesses utilize to facilitate a sale and to maximize the value of a business, while the business continues to operate. A court must approve the filing / application. 

This means 23andMe will be able to continue operating its busines throughout the sale process. 

Many of you have confused Chapter 11 Bankruptcy with Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, the latter of which occurs when "a financially troubled business is unable to pay creditors and the business ceases operations unless those operations are continued by the Chapter 7 trustee." And a few of you are associating 23andMe with individuals who declare Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. 

(3) 23andMe NEVER indicated it was selling the company to the highest bidder. 

For legal purposes, it sounds like 23andMe is looking for a new buyer. However, the reality is 23andMe founder Anne Wojcicki wants to repurchase the company and take it back private. Wojcicki has no intentions of selling 23andMe to anyone or for it to remain a public-traded company if she can help it. 

As of March 27, 2025, a British investor and major stake-holder in 23andMe expressed interest in funding the company as it goes through the Chapter 11 process. You can read about it here. 

(4) 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki NEVER said she was resigning because the company is "bankrupt" and now being sold or closing down. 

Since 23andMe is a publicly-traded company, and CEO Anne Wojcicki is currently the sole board member, and because she wants to repurchase the company as a private entity, she had to step down as a CEO / board member to avoid a conflict of interest. 

(5) For further questions, explanations and UPDATES, please see 23andMe's Chapter 11 FAQ here. 

Screenshot from 23andMe's FAQ on Chapter 11 Filing

SO WHAT SHOULD YOU DO NOW? 

(1) DO NOT ARBITRARILY DELETE YOUR 23ANDME DNA KITS YET, especially if you've invested your money and time into it. There were even people who never took a DNA test or tested at 23andMe for free urging everyone to delete their kits. State attorneys-general also joined in the purging under the guise of reminding constituents of their data protection rights.

Will the media, politicians or people advising you to delete your DNA kits offer you any refund on your investment? Will they help you sue if necessary?

(2) DOWNLOAD YOUR 23ANDME RAW DATA FILE(S) IMMEDIATELY (see instructions here) and store it in a secure place on your computer, e-mail, cloud and/or external drive. 

• KING GENOME'S TIPS: As a matter of routine, if you test at any DNA company, the first thing you must do after receiving your test results is to download all of your raw data files, including DNA Match lists. (NOTE: At FamilyTreeDNA, if males have taken a Big Y 700 test, you will have to pay $99 to download your Y-DNA BAM file). 
• When you decide to test at any DNA company, please create a separate e-mail account for your testing endeavors. 
• Take screenshots of your DNA results, important DNA matches and DNA match lists. 

(3) REVOKE CONSENT TO SHARING YOUR GENETIC DATA WITH RESEARCHERS, BIG PHARMA, AND MEDICAL COMPANIES. 23andMe allows you to consent or not to consent to sharing your genetic data when you first sign up and at any time you wish to do it. 

•  KING GENOME'S TIP: Don't subscribe or upgrade to more advanced services (ie 23andMe+Premium and 23andMe+Total Health) until this situation is resolved. 

(4) DO CONTACT 23ANDME using this customer request portal, and tell them about your concerns, complaints, issues and desires. As they say, closed mouths don't get fed. 

• KING GENOME'S TIP: Let 23andMe know that you want them to invest more into genetic genealogy features and tools. To be fair, 23andMe has always lauded itself as a health-first company. 

(5) UPLOAD YOUR 23ANDME RAW DATA FILE TO A 3RD-PARTY DNA SITE. Of course, there's a plethora of people, including genetic genealogists, urging you to upload to DNA sites that accept raw data files from other companies, namely FamilyTreeDNA, Gedmatch and MyHeritage (for free or small fee). And you should. BUT BEWARE AND BE AWARE: 

• WARNING: FamilyTreeDNA and Gedmatch allows law enforcement searches, now with your consent. However, in the past there were questionable and ethical concerns about how FamilyTreeDNA and Gedmatch allowed customers to consent. Many unsuspecting consumers didn't know they gave consent for law enforcement searches. Furthermore, law enforcement had allegedly accessed consumers's data without their consent. 

MY FINAL THOUGHTS: 

Source: lessonsfromthegoalpost.com

Your concerns about 23andMe are valid. 23andMe has been mired in problems since the FDA stopped them from selling kits in 2013, going public in 2021, and then the data hack in 2023. I've always contended that perhaps the biggest issue is Anne Wojcicki herself and her refusal to invest more into the genetic genealogy side of the company. She has been her own worst enemy, and in the process, created more enemies.  

"In September 2024, all seven independent directors of 23andMe resigned, citing disagreements with CEO Anne Wojcicki's plan to take the company private, leaving only Wojcicki as the remaining board member." Did these former directors become disgruntled and are now influencing the witch hunt on 23andMe?  

• As an aside, did you know that Anne Wojcicki was married to Google co-founder Sergy Brin from 2007 to 2015? Given the current political climate in the USA, could there be something else at play here that we don't know about? I digress. 

We should wait and see how this plays out. On March 27, 2025, a judge approved 23andMe's application for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Will Anne Wojcicki and her potential investors be able to buy the company as a private entity? Or will she be forced to sell it to a larger corporation that seeks to preserve it, and make it better? Only time will tell. 

23andMe isn't the only DNA company to facilitate a sale process. For example, on December 2020, Ancestry.com was acquired by The Blackstone Group for $4.7 billion. In January 2022, FamilyTreeDNA, as a division of Gene by Gene, was acquired by MYDNA, Inc., an Australian company. As of December 9, 2019, GEDmatch was acquired by Verogen, Inc., a sequencing company solely dedicated to forensic science. In early 2021, MyHeritage was acquired by private equity firm Francisco Partners for $600 million. Notably, there was no media or political outrage to delete your kits from these DNA companies when a sale occurred. 

Many major "secure" web sites and databases, including those owned by the US Government, with far more sensitive and personal information (social security numbers, credit card and bank info, etc) have been hacked. A hacking or breach could happen at any time to any site or database.  For what it's worth, 23andMe has always been annoyingly and notoriously private.

Ultimately, it is your prerogative to purge your 23andMe DNA kits. But don't make a misinformed, as(S)inine decision that you may regret later based on other people's paranoia, hidden agendas and the media's fear-mongering. Don't let the naysayers enlist you into their mission to totally destroy 23andMe. And whatever you decide to do, make sure you don't put the cart before the horse by deleting your DNA kits with the masses because sometimes the "m" is silent.

###END###

A Million Views and counting

A Million Milestone — I’m ecstatic to report that my blog, Roots and Recombinant DNA (www.rootsandrecombinantdna.com), has surpassed One Million views! When I started this Genetic Genealogy journey in 2012, I had no idea it would morph into one of the most prolific passions of my life. From helping people understand how DNA works, explaining complex genetic subjects, solving decades-long brick walls or family mysteries, bringing together long-lost family, and meeting my Motherland cousins; to appearing in the James Beard award-winning book, “The Cooking Gene” (by Michael Twitty), “The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are” (by Libby Copeland), being quoted in “Science Times” about U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Cherokee ancestry; to being published on International Society of Genetic Genealogists’s resource list and receiving Best Blog accolades, I’m forever humbled. It hasn’t been an easy journey. You’ll be surprised at the racism pervasive in genetic genealogy community, and perhaps the most disappointing — and hurtful — experiences have been the “family” who never cared to build a relationship with me. I realized that I had to disconnect from that sort of toxicity and refocus on all the love and support shown to me thus far. Thank you to all of the amazing people who’ve taught me, encouraged me, learned from me and believed in me. Thank you to all of the family and friends who’ve trusted me with your DNA and had faith in my expertise. I look forward to what the future shall bring, and you should expect more from me soon.

[NOTE: Due to personal reasons and a busy work schedule, I’m not taking requests for individualized DNA analysis/research until further notice. In the near future, I will provide instructions for paid and contractual work. Thank you for understanding.]

MyHeritage offers photo colorization for free

GOOD NEWS! MyHeritage is offering a wonderful way to spend your time in social distance and sheltering in place. You can now colorize ALL of your black & white photos for FREE during a limited time. Here's the press release:

"MyHeritage is offering FREE and unlimited access to MyHeritage In Color™ from March 23 to April 23, so that people everywhere can join in the fun of colorizing their black and white photos. Ordinarily only 10 photos can be colorized by users who do not have a Complete plan, but now, you can colorize as many photos as you’d like for free.

My high school yearbook photo colorized

"Colorizing photos is the perfect activity for anyone who is isolated at home. We invite everyone to pull out their family photo albums, colorize their photos, and start reminiscing. Over the coming month, anyone who shares their colorized photos on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram with the hashtag #ColorBeatsCoronavirusBlues and tags @MyHeritage will enter a weekly draw. Each week we’ll select one lucky winner who will receive a free MyHeritage Complete subscription!"

• King Genome's Tip: A small number of you may be worried about what MyHeritage is doing with your precious photos. Are they stockpiling them (pun intended)? Well for those of us with MyHeritage accounts, the photos are stored in our photos archive. However we can download and delete them at any time. Still worried? Then only upload photos you're not so guarded about.

Do take care, and be safe and sanitized.

Human Reference Genome Will Upgrade

Source: petridishtalk.com (google images)

On September 24, 2019,  Genomeweb reported that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded $29.5 million to two research centers in the USA and one in Europe for creation of a new human genome reference sequence to "better represent human diversity."

Approximately $12.5 million over five years will be distributed to Washington University, St. Louis, MO; the University of California, Santa Cruz; and the European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, UK, to form the WashU-UCSC-EBI Human Genome Reference Center. In coordination with the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCIB), the new center will provide a multi-genome reference sequence or "pan-genome." [You can read the full details here].

However for my layperson readers, I want to take this opportunity to explain in simple terms what a human reference genome is and why it's important. 

What is a reference genome for humans?

A human reference genome is a library or database of nucleic acid sequences representing a species (here human) set of genes. A human reference genome is created or assembled using the DNA of different donor individuals and therefore do not represent the set of genes of any single person. In other words the human reference genome is stitched together from genes of several individuals. 

Where there are differences in genes [at the same reference location] in the donors—and that are not in human reference genes or regions where their would be high allelic diversity (determines a population's long-term potential for adaptability and persistence; see Templeton et al)—those additional genes are then annotated alongside the human reference genome. 

What is the human reference genome used for? 

The human reference genome ultimately is for sample comparison with single-individual human genomes; to show genomic differences and similarities, as well as to solve biological questions. Some human reference genome applications include:

•  use by geneticists and biologists to identify gene mutations and misalignments that cause abnormalities and diseases in humans, which can lead to better treatment, medicines and cures, and to create a better genome; 

•  use by population geneticists in genome-wide association studies of populations; 

• in palaeogenomic studies of human populations (ie mapping against the human reference genome is used to identify endogenous human sequences in ancient samples);

•  use by personal whole genomic sequence testing companies (ie Nebula Genomics, Full Genomes Corp, YSeq, and Dante Labs  to provide customers with the most accurate DNA results for deep genetic ancestry, uniparental inheritance testing and personal health profiling. This is achieved by the company generating our results, usually a BAM and FASTQ file, and  comparing it to the latest human reference genome (known as a "build").

Why do we need an updated human reference genome?

Sequencing a human reference genome is a very complicated process. Needless to say earlier versions of the human reference genome contained many gaps and problems areas that were complicated to read properly (ie incorrect reads, missing model centromere sequences, lack of alternate loci). The last human reference genome released in December 2013 sought to improve some of these issues.

More pointedly the prior versions and current human reference genome cater to European populations. At current more than 300 million letters of DNA are missing from the human genome according to The Atlantic, a discovery which came to light after a analysis of 910 people of African descent. This is a travesty because Africa, the cradle of humanity, harbors the most genetic diversity in the world. 

What is the timeline history of the human reference genome and who maintains it?

The first reference human genome was assembled by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) in July 2003, and it was updated in 2004 and 2006.

In 2009 the Genome Reference Consortium created "an international collective of academic and research institutes with expertise in genome mapping, sequencing, and informatics, formed to improve the representation of reference genomes," which includes:

• The Wellcome Sanger Institute
• The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University
• The European Bioinformatics Institute
• The National Center for Biotechnology Information

Recent human genome assemblies:

Recent human genome assemblies chart, Wikipedia.

Today we are using GRCh38 (Genome Reference Consortium human 38), although some companies and researchers still utilize GRCh37.

I've had two whole genome sequence tests—one each from Full Genomes Corp and Dante Labs—and both of my results were compared using the the latest human reference genome build GRCh38. Personally I'm hoping a more updated human reference genome(s) will help solve the riddles of human genomic diversity, bring improvements in health, and of course provide more answers contained in my own genome, including my understudied Y-chromosome.

Thus, a new human reference genome, perhaps several, is long overdue. This is why the National Institutes of Health's $29.5 million grant will be important to making it a reality. I look forward to all of the new discoveries that will benefit me, you and humanity. 

###END###

Fine Scaling Genetic Admixture: 23andMe vs AncestryDNA

Some genetic genealogists and genealogists pan genetic ancestry or ethnicity admixture estimates. They see them as not useful and wouldn't mind if ethnicity predicting was discontinued. On the other hand, I see genetic ancestry estimates as part of the genealogy cycle of life.

I understand that matching to genetic relatives is a natural progression from traditional genealogy methodology and practices, but genetic ancestry estimates are a natural extension of DNA relative matching and both can be used synergistically to achieve optimal results.

I'm sure by now you've seen or heard about 23andMe's new Recent Ancestor Locations feature added to its Ancestry Composition tool or last year's AncestryDNA Genetic Communities included with its Ethnicity Estimates—each touts unprecedented granularity with genetic ancestry estimates and addition of over 100 regions or reference populations.

Thus 23andMe ($99 US; $199 w/Health) and AncestryDNA ($99 US) have figured out a way to make their ethnicity admixture tools more relevant by "marrying" genetic ancestry to our genetic relatives! Both DNA testing market leaders have been able to achieve this matrimony by "fine-scaling" their respective ethnicity admixture offerings, which I will review for this blog. 

• PINK ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: On May 11, 2018, 23andMe hit AncestryDNA with a patent infringement and false advertising lawsuit [see here]. Based upon the bones of the case my analysis may seem to implicate a party. However it's unintentional as I've been working on this blog prior to the lawsuit. I hope the legal issue is amicably resolved between the parties.

Mama's Got A Brand New Clade

My 1st Cousin 2x removed Clara Harvey 

This blog is in honor of my cousin Clara Harvey, who turned 95 on April 26, 2018, just one day after National DNA Day. She is truly one of the last Mohicans — one of two surviving first cousins from my maternal grandfather's generation. 

With Mother's Day fast approaching, this is the perfect time to share phenomenal news about matriarch Clara's MATERNAL (mitochondrial-DNA or mtDNA) HAPLOGROUP, and we took it to the "Bank" (more on this later).

I'm also making an urgent appeal to add Cousin Clara's maternal haplogroup to the mtDNA phylogenetic tree so we can present it to her at an upcoming family event. I also have a new hypothesis about the source of our Native American ancestry. 

In my recent blog Guide to Building Your Family's Haplotree I revealed that cousin Clara's Maternal Haplogroup was B2, which is exclusively found in Native Americans. Since cousin Clara's mother and my grandfather's mother were full sisters this proved that the direct matrilineal line of my maternal grandfather — and by extension myself — biologically descend from a foremother of Native American descent.

I pray this blog inspires more relatives from my maternal grandfather's branch (Gillette, Hall, Jackson, Shipley, Van Horn, Van Ness, Winkey, Wyckoff) to participate in DNA testing; see my Family History & Genetic Genealogy Book Project. Our cousin Cousin Clara (and her brothers) tested without hesitation and in return unlocked a rich legacy that keeps exceeding all expectations. 

Special thanks to cousin Richard Oakley and genetic experts Claudio Bravi, James Lick, and Ian Logan for their invaluable assistance. Read on:

MyHeritage Adoption Program Goes Global

Source: MyHeritage.com

I must say MyHeritage is thee new rockstar DNA company and it continues to impress:

In March 2018, MyHeritage launched DNA Quest,"a new pro bono initiative to help adoptees and their birth families reunite through genetic testing." DNA Quest, first available in the United States, received such an outstanding response that the program is now being expanded globally! 

According to MyHeritage: 

The initiative, initially launched in the USA only, received an amazing response. More than 10,000 applications were submitted so far to receive free DNA kits, from the quota of 15,000 free DNA kits pledged by MyHeritage, worth more than one million dollars.

Being that the deadline for submissions is the end of April 2018 and there are still about 3 more weeks to go, and in light of the many requests we received from the community to expand DNA Quest worldwide, we decided to increase the scope of the project, from USA-only to global. 

This means that people are now eligible to participate in DNA Quest regardless of their place of residence  and regardless of where the adoption took place. 

Remember the deadline to participate in MyHeritage DNA Quest is April 30, 2018. So if you're interested in this important initiative please visit www.dnaquest.org NOW to enroll. 

You can read more at MyHeritage blog but here's some quick information about the project:

Who can participate
Participation in DNA Quest is open to adoptees seeking to find their biological family members, or anyone looking for a family member placed for adoption. Preference will be given to those unable to afford genetic testing, and to those who apply first.

How to apply
Adoptees and family members searching for their biological relatives can apply for a free MyHeritage DNA kit at DNAQuest.org through April 30, 2018. Participants will be selected, and their free DNA kits will be shipped to them by the end of May 2018. Results are expected as early as July 2018.

• King Genome's Tip: If you've already tested at another DNA company, you can upload your DNA data to MyHeritage for FREE.

I wish you all abundant success and great luck with your search!

###End###