DNA Testing Privacy Checklist (2026)

An ungated, public, interactive checklist for protecting your genetic data privacy: before you buy, before you swab, after results, and if you change your mind.

By The GuideToGenetics Editorial Team April 10, 2026

A checklist clipboard icon — Photo by Markus Winkler on Pexels

This is our public DNA testing privacy checklist. It is ungated. There is no newsletter signup wall to read it, no email capture, no PDF download required. We wrote it because the privacy decisions in DNA testing tend to come in a specific order, and the right time to decide each one is before you hit the next step.

Use it as a working document. The check marks below are session-only. They do not save to your device and they do not leave your browser. If you want a paper copy, use the “Print or save as PDF” button to use your browser’s own print path. There is no separate gated PDF.

Progress

0 of 20 (0%)

Stage 1 — Before you buy

Five questions to settle before you put a kit in your cart.

Read the company's current privacy policy.
Not a review of the policy from 2019. The current one, dated within the last year, on the company's own site. Look at headquarters and storage location, opt-in vs opt-out on research, sample-storage default, law-enforcement section, and the asset-transfer clause.
- See each policy side by side
Check the company's stability.
Has it been acquired, has it filed bankruptcy, is the parent company solid? 23andMe is currently flagged "verify" because of its 2025 Chapter 11 and TTAM transfer.
- DNA test privacy policies compared
- The 23andMe bankruptcy explained
Decide what you are testing for.
Ancestry-only kits and ancestry-plus-health kits differ in price and in privacy implications. Health reports increase the sensitivity of the data and the relevance of GINA, including the gap GINA leaves for life, disability, and long-term care insurance.
- GINA explained
Think through family implications.
Your DNA is partial information about siblings, parents, children, and cousins, none of whom consented to your test. If unexpected matches could cause real harm in your specific family context, think this through before swabbing.
- Questions to ask before DNA testing
Check breach history.
Major companies have had varying incidents. 23andMe had a 2023 credential-stuffing breach affecting roughly 6.9 million users. MyHeritage had a 2018 incident affecting around 92 million accounts (email and hashed passwords, not raw DNA data).
- Full DNA test data breach history

Stage 2 — Before you swab

Account settings that are easier to set right than to fix later.

Create the account with a strong, unique password.
Use a password manager. Do not reuse a password from any other site.
Turn on two-factor authentication.
All four major companies support it. Do this before you do anything else with the account.
- DNA test account security tips
Decide on research-sharing consent.
This is a separate consent screen from the basic terms of service. You can decline research participation without losing access to your results. If you opt in, you are agreeing to your de-identified data being shared with research partners, which may include pharma.
- Research consent walkthrough
Decide on DNA Relatives or matching.
Most companies offer a matching feature where other testers can see they share DNA with you. Optional; usually toggleable in settings.
Use an email address you will still control in five years.
Not a work email, not an old one you are about to abandon. The account outlives most other digital decisions you make.

Stage 3 — After you get results

Five settings to revisit once your dashboard goes live.

Download your raw DNA data.
Non-negotiable. Once your account is deleted, retrieval is generally not possible. Treat the downloaded file like any sensitive personal document.
- Step-by-step raw data download
Store the raw data in two places.
Your computer plus cloud storage, or your computer plus an external drive.
Review your current settings.
Research participation: still opted in? DNA Relatives or matching: still visible? Profile information: more identifying than you realized? Connected third-party apps: any you forgot you authorized?
Decide about sample retention.
Most companies store the physical saliva sample after analysis unless you opt out. Account deletion and sample destruction are two separate actions. Decide now.
Decide about third-party uploads.
Uploading raw data to MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA, Living DNA, or GEDmatch creates a copy on that service's servers, under that service's policy. This is a privacy decision, not just a free matching feature.
- DNA tests that allow raw data upload

Stage 4 — If you change your mind

Five steps for actually removing your data and sample from a service.

Delete your data at the testing company.
The process differs at each company. Download your raw data first if you have not already.
- How to delete your 23andMe data
- How to delete your AncestryDNA data
Request sample destruction as a separate action.
Deleting your account does not automatically destroy the physical saliva sample. Submit a separate request in writing and keep the support ticket as confirmation.
Revoke research consent if you have not already.
Revoking consent stops future sharing but does not retroactively recall data already shared with research partners.
Delete uploaded copies elsewhere.
Log into each service you uploaded to (MyHeritage, FTDNA, GEDmatch, Living DNA) and delete the upload there separately. Deleting at the original testing company does not affect copies elsewhere.
Confirm in writing.
Save the deletion confirmation emails. If a future question arises about whether your data should still be in any system, the confirmation is your evidence.

State on this page is session-only. Refresh the page or close the tab and your checks reset. That is intentional — no personal data is stored.

What this checklist does not do

It does not interpret your individual results, predict your health outcomes, or tell you what to do about a specific genetic finding. Those questions belong to a board-certified genetic counselor or your physician. The National Society of Genetic Counselors maintains a directory at findageneticcounselor.nsgc.org.

It also does not cover every privacy edge case. If you have an unusual situation (high-profile public figure, active legal matter, immigration concern), the standard checklist is a starting point but you should be talking to a lawyer.

For the broader framework, see is it safe to do a DNA test in 2026 and questions to ask before DNA testing. This piece is part of our Genetic Data Privacy guide.