Protect your DNA: An attorney general issued a chilling warning to the millions of customers of California-based 23andMe, urging them to 'delete your data' immediately as the company faces impending bankruptcy.

23andMe, a biotech company offering genetic testing through saliva samples to provide personalized health and ancestry reports, has been facing the threat of closure after its stock value sharply declined in 2021.

Attorney General Rob Bonta is now urging the company's 15 million customers to delete their genetic information, as the fate of this vast, sensitive information remains uncertain if the firm shuts down.

The statement, released on Friday, reminded state residents to invoke their right to privacy under the Genetic Information Privacy Act and California Consumer Protection Act.