Health data privacy
Why your genetic and health data is safest analysed on your own device, not uploaded to the cloud.
Genetic and health data is the most personal data you have, and unlike a password you can't change it. The 23andMe collapse made the risk concrete: once your genome sits in someone else's database, a breach, an acquisition or a bankruptcy can decide where it ends up. These guides are about keeping that from ever being a question.
We explain the difference between on-device and cloud analysis, how to check what a tool actually sends, how to delete your data from testing services, and how to build a privacy stack where your most sensitive numbers never leave your phone in the first place.
A practical health data privacy checklist
A practical, calm health data privacy checklist: know what you share, prefer on-device processing, guard your DNA, understand deletion rights, and audit connections — step by step.
What happens to your DNA data if the testing company is sold?
What happens to your DNA data when a genetic testing company is sold, goes bankrupt, or changes hands — who controls it, your deletion rights, and how to reduce exposure.
The best privacy-first 23andMe alternatives (2026)
23andMe's bankruptcy left millions looking for a 23andMe alternative that won't repeat the same mistake. An honest guide to your options in 2026 — keep the data you already have, switch to a more private DNA test, or read your genome on your own device without uploading it anywhere.
Can law enforcement access your DNA data?
Can police access your consumer DNA data? An honest look at investigative genetic genealogy, the Golden State Killer case, warrant policies, and how to reduce exposure.
How to analyze your DNA raw data on your phone
Analyze DNA on your phone — a mobile-first guide to reading 23andMe raw data on iPhone or Android, the two on-device app routes, and how to check nothing uploads.
How to delete your 23andMe data (and what they keep)
Step-by-step on deleting your 23andMe account and genetic data — plus what 23andMe's own policy says they retain even after deletion, and why to download your raw data first.
How to read your 23andMe raw data without uploading it
Read your 23andMe raw data on your own device — no upload. A plain-English guide to understanding your DNA raw data locally, so nothing leaves your machine.
Is it safe to upload your DNA raw data?
Is it safe to upload your 23andMe raw data to third-party sites? An honest look at the real risks, what to check before you upload, and the private alternative.
The most private DNA test: 23andMe vs Ancestry vs MyHeritage
An honest privacy comparison of 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and MyHeritage — the questions that decide the safest DNA test, and the lever that beats picking a company.
On-device vs the cloud: where your health data is safest
On-device vs cloud for health data: how each actually works, the honest trade-offs, why it matters more for DNA and health records, and how to tell what an app does.
Whole genome sequencing vs 23andMe: what's the difference?
Whole genome sequencing vs 23andMe explained: genotyping chips read ~600k–1M positions, WGS reads all 3 billion bases. The real trade-off — completeness, cost, and privacy.