If you've tested with 23andMe, your genetic data is now owned by a different company than the one you originally trusted with it. That's not speculation — it's the outcome of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, a court-approved sale, and a transfer of assets that included the genetic data of approximately 14 million customers.

Should you be worried? The honest answer is: it depends on what you value and how much trust you're willing to extend to a new corporate entity. Here's a factual timeline, followed by your options.

What Happened: A Timeline

Oct 2023
Data breach disclosed. 23andMe confirmed hackers accessed profile data from roughly 6.9 million users through credential stuffing attacks that exploited the DNA Relatives feature. Exposed data included ancestry reports, birth years, and self-reported locations.
2024
Financial deterioration. Revenue continued declining. Stock price collapsed. Multiple board members resigned. CEO Anne Wojcicki proposed taking the company private but couldn't secure financing.
Early 2025
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filed. 23andMe entered bankruptcy protection and began seeking buyers for its assets, including its genetic database, therapeutic pipeline, and consumer platform.
2025
Acquisition by TTAM Research Institute. The company's assets — including genetic data — were acquired by TTAM Research Institute through the bankruptcy process. The consumer testing service continued operating under the 23andMe brand.
2026
Current state. 23andMe continues selling DNA test kits under TTAM ownership. The affiliate program is paused. Long-term data stewardship plans under the new entity are still developing. The matching database (~11 million in relative matching) remains active but has not grown at pre-bankruptcy rates.

What This Means for Your Data

When you tested with 23andMe, you agreed to a privacy policy written by that company. That company no longer exists in its original form. Your data is now held by TTAM Research Institute, which may operate under different policies, different leadership, and different business incentives than the company you originally consented to.

This is not an abstract risk. In bankruptcy proceedings, customer data is treated as a corporate asset — something that can be sold, transferred, or licensed. Privacy commitments made by the original company may or may not survive transfer to the acquirer, depending on the terms of the sale and applicable law.

The core issue: You consented to share your DNA with Company A. Your DNA is now held by Company B. Whether Company B's intentions, security practices, and data policies match your original expectations is something only you can evaluate — and the information available to make that evaluation is limited.

What You Can Do Right Now

1Download Your Raw Data
Before doing anything else, download your raw data file from 23andMe. Log into your account, navigate to Settings → 23andMe Data, and request a download. You'll receive a zip file containing your genotype data in a text format that can be uploaded to other analysis platforms. This ensures you retain access to your results regardless of what happens to the platform. Store the file securely — it's your DNA, permanently.
2Review Your Consent Settings
Check your research consent settings. If you previously opted in to 23andMe's research program (which allowed your de-identified data to be used in studies and partnerships), consider whether that consent still reflects your wishes under new ownership. You can opt out of research participation through your account settings.
3Consider Requesting Data Deletion
23andMe provides a data deletion option. If you're uncomfortable with your genetic data being held under new ownership, you can request deletion of your account and associated data. Be aware that deletion removes your access to reports, relative matches, and any stored data. If you want to retain your results, download your raw data file first.
4Upload Your Data Elsewhere
Your 23andMe raw data can be uploaded to multiple alternative platforms: GEDmatch and FamilyTreeDNA for extended relative matching, SelfDecode or Promethease for health analysis, or Sequencing.com's marketplace for additional reports. Uploading to these platforms gives you continued access to analysis without depending on 23andMe's future.

Should You Still Buy a 23andMe Kit?

This depends on what you want. 23andMe's ancestry and health reports remain technically solid — the haplogroup reporting is detailed, the trait analysis is well-designed, and the health predisposition reports cover a meaningful set of conditions. If you're buying purely for the analysis quality and are comfortable with TTAM's data stewardship, the product itself hasn't degraded.

The concerns are structural, not scientific. You're trusting a new entity with your most personal data. The company's long-term stability is uncertain. The matching database, while still large (~14 million genotyped, ~11 million in relative matching), is no longer growing at its historical rate. And the affiliate program is paused, which often signals financial strain.

For new buyers, the question is whether 23andMe's specific strengths (haplogroups, health+ancestry bundle, trait reports) justify the uncertainty — or whether an alternative offers comparable or better value with fewer unknowns.

The Alternatives

For Ancestry

AncestryDNA has the largest matching database (30M+), is financially stable, and offers the most comprehensive genealogical toolkit. If ancestry is your primary goal, AncestryDNA is the safer bet in 2026. See our best DNA test for ancestry guide.

For Health + Ancestry Combined

Whole genome sequencing (Dante Labs, Sequencing.com) gives you everything 23andMe provides — ancestry composition, health predispositions, carrier status, pharmacogenomics — plus the complete raw dataset (FASTQ, BAM, VCF) that 23andMe's genotyping chip cannot produce. The data is yours, stored on your hard drive, not dependent on any company's continued existence.

For Privacy-First Testing

If the 23andMe situation has made you more privacy-conscious, whole genome sequencing with immediate data download is the model that gives you the most control. You receive your complete genome, you download the files, and you choose which platforms (if any) to upload them to. No company needs to indefinitely store your genetic data for you to benefit from it.

Own Your DNA, Not Just Your Results

Dante Labs delivers your complete genome in standard formats (FASTQ, BAM, VCF) that you download and store yourself. No bankruptcy can take that away.

Get Your Genome Sequenced → Use code GENOME for 10% off
Already have 23andMe data? Your raw genotype file can be uploaded to Sequencing.com (free), GEDmatch (free), or FamilyTreeDNA (free) to expand your matching network. For deeper health analysis, upload to SelfDecode or Promethease. And if you want the full picture, a 30× whole genome sequence will capture the 99.9% of your genome that 23andMe's chip didn't read.
Bottom Line

23andMe's scientific product hasn't changed. Its corporate ownership has. Your genetic data is now held by TTAM Research Institute, an entity you didn't originally consent to. Whether that matters to you is a personal judgment.

At minimum: download your raw data now, review your research consent settings, and decide whether to request deletion. Your DNA data is the most permanent personal information that exists — it deserves the same care you'd give any irreplaceable asset.

For new buyers considering where to test in 2026, the options with the least structural uncertainty are AncestryDNA (for ancestry) and whole genome sequencing via Dante Labs (for ancestry + health + data ownership).

Further Reading

For a head-to-head technical comparison, see our 23andMe vs. Dante Labs review. Our DNA data privacy guide grades every major provider's privacy practices. And if you're wondering what to do with raw data you've already downloaded, our raw genome data analysis guide walks through the best free and paid tools.