Whit Johnson has opened up about his life changing decision to take a DNA test with 23andMe more than 10 years ago, as customers are urged to delete their data from the ailing site.
The Good Morning America anchor revealed on air that his test led to a sensational discovery about his family amid turmoil for the website and its users after it declared bankruptcy.
His father, Steve, was adopted but knew nothing about his biological parents or family history.
After signing up to 23andMe, Steve was able to use the site to track down siblings he never knew he had.
The recent announcement that 23andMe filed for bankruptcy has stirred up old feelings for Johnson and his father, who felt torn about wiping their data entirely despite the urgent warnings.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta urged 15 million users of the genetic testing giant to ‘delete their data and destroy any samples of genetic material held by the company’ amid concerns it could soon be sold off to the highest bidder.
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The bankruptcy filing saw its stock tank to just 96 cents a share while CEO Anne Wojcicki, who is also the company’s co-founder, resigned.
23andMe had 15 million customers who had logged their data on the site, but the bankrupcty announcement led many to rush to wipe their private information.
Whit Johnson has opened up about his life changing decision to take a DNA test with 23andMe more than 10 years ago, as customers are urged to delete their data from the ailing site
His father, Steve, was adopted – something that nobody in his family knew at the time of the 2014 test. In addition to that bombshell, Steve was able to use the site to track down siblings he never knew he had
Johnson was among customers who chose to wipe his data.
He said his decision was a ‘personal one’ that offered him ‘peace of mind’ amid the looming potential threat of what could happen to his data. Ultimately, Johnston felt he had ‘no more questions’ that were pending.
His father, on the other hand, has chosen to leave his data on the site, meaning he could still track down long lost family members.
‘Completely by accident, I found my dad’s long lost brother,’ Whit revealed.
‘That was just the beginning. Over the years, we’ve learned about his mother and father… and connected with a total of four brothers and one possible sister.’
23andMe was founded by entrepreneur Wojcicki and is based in Silicon Valley, meaning it falls under California’s Genetic Privacy Act.
That allows consumers to access and delete data at will. 23andMe users can purge their files by logging into their account and clicking ‘settings,’ then ‘view’ then ‘delete data.’
That then generates an email which customers must click on to finalize the deletion. 23andMe was a tech darling as recently as 2021, when its share price hit $320.
The recent announcement that 23andMe filed for bankruptcy has stirred up old feelings for Johnson and his father, who felt torn about wiping their data entirely despite the urgent warnings
Anyone who shared a DNA sample was given a breakdown of their ancestry detailing the ethnic background of their predecessors
Users were fascinated to discover which parts of the world their ancestors came from.
Oprah Winfrey was among fans and listed the 23andMe test kits in her annual list of her favorite things in 2017.
Anyone who shared a DNA sample was given a breakdown of their ancestry detailing the ethnic background of their predecessors.
23andMe was also used by law enforcement to solve high-profile cold cases.
Investigators were able to plug a suspect’s data into the DNA database to identify possible relatives who’d shared their DNA information for innocent purposes.
That enabled them to identify and dramatically narrow down potential suspects whose backgrounds were then checked to see if there was anything that put them at the scene of a crime.
Johnson was among customers who chose to wipe his data. He said his decision was a ‘personal one’ to provide him ‘peace of mind’
The corporation’s implosion was blamed on rapid over-expansion and a 2023 data breach which put people off using the site.
Wojcicki, the site’s CEO and co-founder, was married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin between 2007 and 2015.
She used her contacts to try and drum-up investment for the firm.
Wojcicki’s most recent buy-out offer valued 23andMe at just $11 million, or 41 cents per share.
That is a stunning decline from the company’s peak valuation of $46 billion in early 2021.
