(CNBC) — DNA testing has become a valuable tool for hobbyists and novice genealogists. For some, learning they are the 10th cousin of Paul Revere or the 15th great nephew four times removed of the last King of Prussia is worth the perceived risk of sharing a DNA sample. But what happens when the company harvesting the DNA goes bankrupt?
That was the question posed to millions of Americans last week when 23andMe, the company that popularized consumer genetic testing and had early backing from Google, filed for bankruptcy, leading to a wave of calls for Americans to delete their DNA from the company’s database.
While it’s not 100 percent clear if the “delete your DNA” calls were warranted, privacy experts are alarmed, and Americans who had taken the genetic test took the advice to heart.