California Attorney General Rob Bonta is warning about a risk to their data from a company that recently reported it was in financial distress.

According to the Attorney General’s office, 23andMe said in security filings that there is “substantial doubt” about the genetic testing-focused company’s future.

Bonta advised California residents of their right under the Genetic Information Privacy Act and California Consumer Protection Act to request their data held by companies be deleted and genetic materials be destroyed.

“California has robust privacy laws that allow consumers to take control and request that a company delete their genetic data,” Bonta said. “Given 23andMe’s reported financial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company.”

Bonta’s office compiled the following steps to request data be deleted:

1. Log into your 23andMe account on their website.

2. Go to the “Settings” section of your profile.

3. Scroll to a section labeled “23andMe Data” at the bottom of the page.

4. Click “View” next to “23andMe Data”

5. 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.

6. Scroll to the “Delete Data” section.

7. Click “Permanently Delete Data.”

8. Confirm your request: You’ll receive an email from 23andMe; follow the link in the email to confirm your deletion request.

Co-founder Anne Wojcicki to pursue independent bid as California attorney general tells users to delete data.

The US genetic testing company 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US to help sell itself, as its chief executive quit to pursue a bid for the business after several unsuccessful attempts.

23andMe said late on Sunday that it had started voluntary Chapter 11 proceedings in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to “facilitate a sale process to maximise the value of its business”.

The loss-making company, which provides saliva-based test kits to customers to help them track their ancestry, added that it was operating as usual throughout the sale process. “There are no changes to the way the company stores, manages, or protects customer data,” it said.

The San Francisco-based company said its chief executive and co-founder Anne Wojcicki was stepping down. She has been pushing for a buyout since April last year but was rebuffed by 23andMe’s board.

The company is still reeling from a huge data breach in 2023 that affected the data of nearly 7 million people, about half of its customers. Revenues have fallen as many of its 15 million customers scramble to delete their DNA data from the company’s archives.

Over the weekend the California attorney general, Rob Bonta, urged the company’s users to ask it to “delete your data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company”.

Mark Jensen, the company’s chair, said: “After a thorough evaluation of strategic alternatives, we have determined that a court-supervised sale process is the best path forward to maximise the value of the business.

“We are committed to continuing to safeguard customer data and being transparent about the management of user data going forward, and data privacy will be an important consideration in any potential transaction.”

Fighting for survival, 23andMe has cut the jobs of 200 people, amounting to 40% of its workforce, and stopped development of all its therapies in November. Wojcicki’s ambition has been to turn the company into a drug developer.

Wojcicki will be replaced by its chief financial officer, Joe Selsavage, until a permanent replacement is found but she is staying on the 23andMe board.

She co-founded the business in 2006 with Linda Avey and Paul Cusenza. In a post on X, she said she was “disappointed” by the bankruptcy filing and that her bid to take the company private was rejected. She explained she had resigned “so I can be in the best position to pursue the company as an independent bidder”.

She added: “If I am fortunate enough to secure the company’s assets through the restructuring process, I remain committed to our long-term vision of being a global leader in genetics.”

Wojcicki offered to pay $0.41 (£0.32) a share earlier this month, down by 84% from an offer in February. Her private equity partner walked away after the board’s rejection of that bid.

Her latest offer valued 23andMe at $11m, below its current market value of just under $48m, and a long way from its $5.8bn peak in February 2021 after its stock market float on the Nasdaq exchange.

Last autumn, 23andMe agreed to pay $30m and give three years of security monitoring to settle a lawsuit accusing it of failing to protect the privacy of 6.9 million customers whose personal information was exposed in the data breach.

23andMe said it had received a commitment for debtor-in-possession financing of up to $35m from the Los Angeles-based private equity firm JMB Capital Partners, to support the business in the months ahead.

NOTE: This article refers to the BBC version of  "Who Do You Think You Are?"

The latest series of genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are? will return to BBC One and iPlayer this Spring. The 22nd series features Andrew Garfield, Diane Morgan, Mishal Husain, Ross Kemp, Aisling Bea, Will Young, Fred Sirieix and Layton Williams.

Comedian Diane Morgan steps away from her role as clueless historian Philomena Cunk to learn some history of her own from the experts, involving a poignant love story and her ancestor’s brave fight for the rights of her illegitimate children.

BAFTA-winning and RTS nominated actor and writer Aisling Bea discovers how her family’s been shaped by some of the most dramatic moments in Irish history, telling a tale of violent tragedy, female resilience and a passion for Irish independence.

British pop icon and actor Will Young uncovers his grandfather’s extraordinary experience as a Bomber Command pilot in World War Two and being captured as a Prisoner of War in Germany. Will then dives back further in time, discovering both villains and royalty in his family tree.

Elsewhere, TV personality and the UK’s number one matchmaker Fred Sirieix sets sail to France to explore his family roots where he discovers a wartime romance worthy of First Dates and is delighted by an unexpected connection to wine making.

Musical theatre and acting phenomenon Layton Williams investigates his London roots, revealing a surprising musical connection, before travelling to Jamaica where he uncovers some distressing family history.

Journalist and broadcaster Mishal Husain traces an illustrious family history, in India she discovers an ancestor who was a personal physician to a Maharaja, and in an unexpected twist finds herself travelling to the East Coast of the USA.

Simon Young, BBC Head of History, says: “The stellar line-up this year is a real treat for our audiences. But so is the history, from the shock of a royal ancestor to epic stories of survival. And that’s why this series endures, because it hints at the amazing family micro-histories that make all of us who we are.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is warning about a risk to their data from a company that recently reported it was in financial distress.

According to the Attorney General’s office, 23andMe said in security filings that there is “substantial doubt” about the genetic testing-focused company’s future.

Bonta advised California residents of their right under the Genetic Information Privacy Act and California Consumer Protection Act to request their data held by companies be deleted and genetic materials be destroyed.

“California has robust privacy laws that allow consumers to take control and request that a company delete their genetic data,” Bonta said. “Given 23andMe’s reported financial distress, I remind Californians to consider invoking their rights and directing 23andMe to delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company.”

Bonta’s office compiled the following steps to request data be deleted:

1. Log into your 23andMe account on their website. 
2. Go to the “Settings” section of your profile.
3. Scroll to a section labeled “23andMe Data” at the bottom of the page. 
4. Click “View” next to “23andMe Data”
5. 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.
6. Scroll to the “Delete Data” section. 
7. Click “Permanently Delete Data.” 
8. Confirm your request: You’ll receive an email from 23andMe; follow the link in the email to confirm your deletion request.

The Attorney General’s Office said customers who requested their saliva sample and DNA be stored by 23andMe can change that preference from their account settings page.

Bafta-winning actor Andrew Garfield will take part in BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are? to explore his family history.

The Spider-Man star will learn about his ancestors’ links to pre-war Poland, the Treblinka Nazi death camp and the Hollywood Hills in the latest series of the show.

Eight celebrities, including Garfield, will be taken around the world in the 22nd series of the BBC programme to unearth stories from their ancestors.

The 41-year old is best known for his portrayal of Peter Parker in the Amazing Spider-Man, playing Eduardo Saverin in The Social Network and recently co-starring alongside actress Florence Pugh in the drama We Live In Time.

Andrew Garfield has starred in the Spider-Man films (Ian West/PA)

Simon Young, BBC head of history, said: “The stellar line-up this year is a real treat for our audiences. But so is the history, from the shock of a royal ancestor to epic stories of survival. And that’s why this series endures, because it hints at the amazing family micro-histories that make all of us who we are.”

Comedian Diane Morgan, best known for playing the clueless historian Philomena Cunk, will be joining the series to learn about her own history, uncovering her ancestor’s love story and brave fight for the rights of her illegitimate children.

Meanwhile, EastEnders star Ross Kemp will arrive in Casablanca to try to uncover a family mystery while discovering that his ancestor was a drummer boy during the Napoleonic wars.

British singer-songwriter Will Young will uncover he has both villains and royalty in his family tree while learning more about his grandfather’s experience as a Bomber Command pilot in the Second World War and being captured as a prisoner of war in Germany.

The star-studded cast also includes journalist Mishal Husain, comedian Aisling Bea, First Dates’ Fred Sirieix and actor Layton Williams.

As celebrities search for answers, the series will take viewers across the UK and around the world including to Jamaica, Morocco, India, Poland, Germany, Ireland, the US and France.

Previous episodes saw British singer Olly Murs retrace his family line to Latvia where he discovered his long-lost great grandmother’s grave and learned that she had to give up her son, Murs’ grandfather, and was later imprisoned in a Nazi camp for eight years.

The new series of Who Do You Think You Are? launches on BBC One and iPlayer this spring.

New research has provided fresh insights into Manx emigrants who settled in the United States, revealing the strong presence of Manx communities in Ohio and beyond. 

The findings come as part of a new agreement between Manx National Heritage (MNH) and Ancestry.com, which now allows visitors to the Manx Museum Library and Archives in Douglas to access Ancestry Institution for free.

The partnership provides access to over 60 billion records from 88 countries, enabling researchers to explore census data, military records, migration documents, and historical directories to trace family connections.

The new access to Ancestry has already helped MNH uncover stories of Manx emigrants who established themselves in the US.

Sarah Christian, MNH Library and Archives Assistant, shared an example of John Henry Quine, an American drugstore owner with Manx roots. While US census records initially listed his birthplace as England, further research using Ancestry confirmed that he was in fact from Douglas, having lived at 5 Derby Road in 1881 before emigrating to the US.

Ms Christian said: ‘In the MNH Photographic Archive and digitised on imuseum.im are early 20th-century photographs of an American drugstore belonging to John Henry Quine. For us to have these photographs means he must be linked to the Isle of Man, but searching Ancestry, we discovered census enumerators in the US declare his birth country as England.

William Corlett of Ohio, USA (Manx National Heritage) (-)

‘Only one record from the American 1910 census has “Isle of Man”, but it’s crossed out. This illustrates how even if your family story connects you to the Isle of Man, the documents don’t always make it easy. Further research using Ancestry reveals that indeed John Quine’s family came from Douglas, with the 1881 census recording that he lived at 5 Derby Road before emigrating to America.’

Another significant discovery involved William Corlett of Ohio, USA, whose portrait is part of MNH’s digital archive. A search for his name on Ancestry led researchers to the 1860 US census, which showed a cluster of Manx families living and working as farmers in Newburgh, Cuyahoga, Ohio.

Ms Christian added: ‘Next, we explored a photograph of a portrait painting of William Corlett of Ohio, USA, on the Manx National Heritage imuseum.im website. A search for William Corlett on Ancestry led us not only to William appearing on the North American 1860 census but on the next page a whole community of Manx farmers living and working in Newburgh, Cuyahoga, Ohio. As a common name, there is another William Corlett nearby at Warrensville.’

Ancestry Institution provides access to historical records from the Isle of Man, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and across Europe, enabling researchers to trace their own roots or follow the migration paths of ancestors.

As part of the new agreement, Ancestry will add Isle of Man Parish Registers to its platform in 2026.

The Manx National Heritage Library and Archives at the Manx Museum in Douglas is open Wednesday to Saturday, 10am to 4:30pm.

A recent paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine calls for regulations to protect customers’ personal and genetic data in light of biotech company 23andMe’s uncertain future.

The genetic genealogy firm, launched in 2007, became wildly popular, with millions of customers sending in saliva samples for analysis to learn about their ancestry and genetic makeup.

The company was valued at $6 billion, or $17.65 a share, shortly after going public in 2021. It has since fallen to about $48 million, or $1.78 per share, after a 2023 data breach and resignation of some board members. The firm said in January that it’s exploring “strategic alternatives,” including a sale of the company or assets, restructuring, or business combination, among other options.

In this edited conversation, I. Glenn Cohen, one of the paper’s authors and faculty director of the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School, explains the legal landscape surrounding genetic data, the reasons for more consumer protection laws, and the steps for consumers to protect their personal and genetic data.

If 23andMe were to file for bankruptcy protection, what might happen with the genetic data of 14 million people the company holds?

As 23andMe faces significant financial distress and might be purchased directly or go bankrupt and its assets sold, all of the genetic and health information provided by people is a valuable asset to the company. Many people have used services like 23andMe, Ancestry.com, and others which are direct-to-consumer genetic tests companies, to answer questions about their ancestry or their genetic code.

But in the course of answering these questions for themselves, they’ve also contributed to these huge genetic databases. Our concern is that they may end up in the hands of somebody other than 23andMe, in a way that many people who have given their information to 23andMe never contemplated and might object to.

What are the possible case scenarios, and what are your concerns?

One is about data security. We saw that 23andMe itself was subject to a massive data breach in 2023, and if the company that takes over the data lacks good data security, there’s a possibility of breach.

Interestingly, once upon a time, the Pentagon told military personnel not to use these at-home DNA kits because it was concerned about national security. A more quotidian concern is that your genetic information might become available to others, and it’s possible you could become reidentified.

To give you an example from a study several years ago, a number of researchers used genetic data to try to identify, through what’s called genome-wide association studies (GWAS) technology and approach, what parts of the genome were associated with being gay. Many people who had given their genetic information were understandably upset at the idea this could be a possible use of their information.

So, while customers have made the decision to share with 23andMe, from whom they get a lot of benefit, they really have very little say about what will happen should the company be taken over or should the company go bankrupt, and its assets sold.

Since President Trump retook office on January 20, libraries and librarianship have been assaulted via executive orders and other actions.

While the legality of many of these actions is still being decided by the courts, librarians, archivists, and other information professionals have been working through the confusion to preserve access to information. Below are several examples of the challenges libraries have faced over the past two months and the ways in which librarians and advocates have responded—and continue to respond.

Institute of Museum and Library Services threatened

On March 14, President Trump signed an executive order calling for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to eliminate “non-statutory components and functions.” While it is unclear which of IMLS’s functions will be determined statutory or nonstatutory, IMLS staff jobs and funding for library programsacross the country are at risk. An American Library Association (ALA) statement and call to action released on March 15 opposes the order, highlights many ways that “libraries of all types translate 0.003% of the federal budget into programs and services used in more than 1.2 billion in-person patron visits every year, and many more virtual visits.”
White House, Mar. 14; ALA, Mar. 18; AL: The Scoop, Mar. 16

Previously available public data deleted

Starting in late January 2025, thousands of federal web pages have been altered or removed, preventing public access to information on a range of topics related to science, health, equity, and foreign assistance programs, among others. In response, information professionals are banding together to preserve the affected information and provide alternative access. The Data Rescue Project, maintained by a consortium of three data organizations, is the clearinghouse for these efforts, tracking who is rescuing which data and where it can be found now. The project’s website also highlights libraries across the country providing patrons with information on how to access federal data and help preserve it.
The New York Times, Feb. 2; Wired, Feb. 1; The New Yorker, Mar. 14; The Data Rescue Project

Employees fired from federal libraries and the National Archives

There is no official tally yet of federal library workers who have lost jobs from Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts, but probationary federal employees—those who have been at their jobs less than two years—have been fired  at multiple federally operated presidential libraries. At the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, firings forced the library to close for a day. Firings have also hit the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library Museum and Boyhood Home in Independence, Missouri, and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas.

At the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Colleen Shogan, former archivist of the United States—a position that oversees government records—was fired on February 7 by President Trump. US Deputy Archivist William “Jay” Bosanko subsequently chose to retire. ALA signed a joint letter to the White House on February 11 outlining the threats these staffing changes pose to the collective memory of the country and Americans’ ability to access their history. The Society of American Archivists also issued a statementcondemning the firing at NARA and employees at other cultural institutions.
WBUR (Boston), Feb. 19; KSHB-TV (Kansas City, Mo.), Feb. 18; CBS News, Feb. 7; CBS News, Feb. 15;Freedom of the Press Foundation, Feb. 12; Society of American Archivists, Feb. 25

Books removed from school libraries on military bases

As a result of executive orders aimed at removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) materials from federal spaces, school libraries on military bases have been told to remove for review books the Department of Defense describes as “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics.” Books flagged for review include No Truth Without Ruth, a biographical picture book about Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Nancy Zhang; Freckleface Strawberry, a picture book by actor Julianne Moore, and Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by Vice President J. D. Vance. On February 2, ALA and the American Association of School Librarians released a statement calling the order calling the order “censorship of legitimate views and opinions that violates the First Amendment rights of those who serve our nation and their families.” On March 6, hundreds of students on Defense Department campuses in Europe and Asia staged a coordinated protest of the removal of library books and other materials.
The Guardian, Feb. 13; PEN America, Feb. 19; ALA, Feb. 2; Stars and Stripes, Mar. 6

The fates of federal grants remain unclear

The Trump administration’s January call for a pause to all federal grants through the Office of Budget and Management (OBM) has led to conflicting guidance from OBM on which programs will be defunded—although there has been a marked focus on ending DEI-related programs. Two separate injunctions have been levied against the funding pauses in federal courts in Rhode Island and in Washington, D.C. With federal funding in limbo, organizations have come out in support of further funding for cultural institutions—including the Authors Guild, EveryLibrary, and the American Alliance of Museums. ALA’s Show Up for Our Librariesinitiative calls on supporters to share stories of how libraries have benefited their communities and provides other tools to illustrate to government officials the importance of library funding.
NPR, Jan. 29; NPR, Jan. 31; NPR, Jan. 28; The Authors Guild, Mar. 5; EveryLibrary, Jan. 28; American Alliance of Museums, Jan. 28; ALA, Jan. 22

Kathryn Donohue

The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Cold Case Unit charged 82-year-old Rodger Zodas Brown with the 1979 murder of Kathryn Donohue in Glenarden, MD, following advancements in forensic genetic genealogy. Brown, who lived in Hyattsville at the time of the crime, was arrested in North Carolina and faces extradition to Prince George’s County on charges of first-degree murder, rape, and related offenses.

Per the news release distributed on Tuesday, March 18: “The Prince George’s County Police Department’s Cold Case Unit identified and charged a man for an unsolved murder that occurred more than 45 years ago in Glenarden. The suspect, 82-year-old Rodger Zodas Brown of Pinehurst, North Carolina, is now in custody for the 1979 murder of 31-year-old Kathryn Donohue of Arlington, VA.

 On March 3, 1979, a citizen walking through a parking lot in the 8400 block of Hamlin Street located the victim’s body and called police. The PGPD’s Homicide Unit responded and opened an investigation into the victim’s rape and murder, which despite an extensive, years-long investigation, remained unsolved.

PGPD Cold Case Unit detectives sought and obtained court authorization to initiate a forensic genetic genealogy DNA analysis in connection to this case. Thanks to advancements in both DNA and genetic genealogy, in late 2024, the FBI Baltimore Field Office was able to identify a relative of the unknown male suspect. Additional investigation ultimately led to the identification of the suspect, Rodger Brown. With the assistance of the Moore County Sheriff’s Office (NC) and FBI Charlotte Field Office, he was arrested at his home in North Carolina last week. Brown lived in Hyattsville at the time of the murder in 1979. While this remains an active investigation, at this time, there is no known connection between the victim and suspect.

Brown is charged with first degree murder, rape and related charges. He remains in North Carolina pending extradition to Prince George’s County.”

Kerryn Tate was murdered in 1979, and advancements in DNA technology have identified a suspect in the case.  (Supplied: WA Police)

Described as WA's biggest cold case breakthrough since the introduction of new DNA technology, the naming of Terence John Fisher as a suspect in the 1979 murder of Perth woman Kerryn Tate created headlines around the country.

But for those who specialise in genetics and forensic work it came as no surprise, and they believe it could be part of the new normal when it comes to solving old crimes.

"I'd be expecting this to happen in quite a lot of cold cases now," said Dr Jemma Berry, who has a PhD in genetics, and lectures in genetics and forensic science at Edith Cowan University.

Police say those who had believed they had gotten away with major violent crimes can no longer rest easy.

Senior Constable Lisa Rosenberg issued a warning to criminals that advancements in DNA technology would mean more cold cases are solved.  (ABC News )

"Finally they're looking over their shoulder, instead of the victims and their families," said Senior Constable Lisa Rosenberg, who specialises in Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) with WA Police.

She played a major role in the breakthrough case of Ms Tate.

"If someone knocks on the door or they're getting pulled over, we'll be coming for you," Senior Constable Rosenberg said.

Terence John Fisher died in 2000, but he has now been named as a suspect in the 1979 murder of Kerryn Tate. (Supplied: WA Police)

The breakthrough was possible due to new techniques in tracing DNA in investigations.

How exactly does it work?

Thanks to a spike in the popularity of ancestry websites as people look to learn more about their family history, police have access to more DNA data, which they can use to identify familial matches.

The DNA databases providing answers to unsolved mysterie

Federal, state and territory police forces have started solving cases using official police access to private genealogy databases, which combined, hold the DNA records of millions of people.

"This is not necessarily a development in DNA technology, these ancestry websites and the DNA analysis has been around for a really long time, it's just a totally different way of looking at the DNA," Dr Berry said.

"What they're really looking for is familial relationships, links to other people in a suspect's family tree that they can then use to start their genetic search.

"And then finding those links to people in that family tree that could then potentially be a suspect for these cases."

But the method requires a remarkable amount of time and resources, which the Tate case illustrates.

It involved going through the profiles of more than 10,000 people, all the way back to the 1600s.

"Most of our matches were six to seven generations away from our person," Senior Constable Rosenberg said. 

"We have four people in our team and we worked on this pretty much non-stop for 12 months until we identified that one person."

Can my family data be used?

Police have downplayed concerns people may have regarding law enforcement having access to their DNA profiles, emphasising the information from the websites is publicly accessible, and those who use the sites have the option as to whether they allow the data to be shared with police.

"I can't see the concerns and if people don't want to upload they don't have to, but if they've already got their DNA on these databases, millions of people worldwide are seeing that data, so I don't see why we can't," Ms Rosenberg said.

"That's all we see, just what they see.

Police currently only have access to two DNA databases.  (ABC News)

"If you're allowing all of these millions of strangers around the world to look at your DNA data, it's not a big question for me to tick that box and allow law enforcement to solve serious crimes."

Dr Berry said she would also have no concerns sharing her data.

"I personally haven't done anything that the police need to worry about, but that doesn't say some third cousin twice removed in my family might not have," she said.

"But you know what, I'd rather they get caught and prosecuted for something like that than be left free in the community."

Do police have access to enough data?

For now, WA Police only have access to the databases of two genealogy websites.

It's prompted a public plea for people to upload their DNA and make it available to them, to help police solve violent crimes.

"We use GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA at the moment," Senior Constable Rosenberg said.

Police name suspect in 1979 cold case murder after DNA breakthrough

Photo shows A head and shoulders profile shot of Terence John Fisher posing for a photo with a bushy beard.

Evolving DNA technology helps WA Police identify Terence John Fisher as a suspect in the cold case murder investigation of Perth woman Kerryn Tate.

"There are other databases starting up but the numbers are just too small for us to use at the moment.

"Of those, probably only 10 per cent have opted in for law enforcement.

"We're just asking members of the public to upload to GEDmatch or FamilyTreeDNA."

Do police expect more breakthroughs?

Experts describe DNA technology as forever improving, and as it evolves, it's hoped more cold case crimes can be solved more easily.

"It's a great investigative tool, and it's only getting better with technology and the changes that we see coming, we're only getting better," Ms Rosenberg said.

Dr Berry agrees.

"DNA technology is rapidly evolving, there's new things coming out all of the time," she said.

"With all the new advancements in DNA technology there's always an application for those in the forensic sphere."