Cookie Policy
Last Updated: September 10, 2024
This Cookie Policy explains how 23andMe uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit or use our Services. We encourage you to read the full Cookie Policy to understand how we use cookies, and your related choices. We will generally refer to cookies, web beacons, flash cookies, pixels, session replay and other tracking technologies collectively as “cookies” in this policy.
To make it simple, we use the same terms as defined in our Privacy Statement and Terms of Service. Any new terms will be defined below. This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Statement and our Terms of Service.
1. What are Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies?
Cookies are small text files placed by a website and stored by your browser on your device. A cookie can later be read when your browser connects to a web server in the same domain that placed the cookie. The text in a cookie contains a string of numbers and letters that may uniquely identify your device and can contain other information as well. This allows the web server to recognize your browser over time, each time it connects to that web server.
Web beacons are electronic images (also called single-pixel or clear GIFs) that are contained within a website or email. When your browser opens a webpage or email that contains a web beacon, it automatically connects to the web server that hosts the image (typically operated by a third party). This allows that web server to log information about your device and to set and read its own cookies. In the same way, third-party content on our websites (such as embedded videos, plug-ins, or ads) results in your browser connecting to the third-party web server that hosts that content. We also include web beacons in our email messages or newsletters to tell us if you open and act on them.
There are two types of cookies: session cookies and persistent cookies. A session cookie lasts while your browser is open and is automatically deleted when you close your browser. A persistent cookie lasts until you or your browser deletes the cookies, or they expire.
Cookies set by us are called “first party cookies,” while cookies set by parties other than 23andMe are called “third party cookies.” The parties that set third party cookies can recognize your device, both when you use our Services and when you use other websites or mobile apps. To understand how other companies use cookies, please review their policies. Both first party and third party cookies, combined with web beacons, can serve a number of different functions, such as analytics, marketing and advertising.
Your browsing information may include sensitive information, such as your browsing websites or buying products related to specific health conditions, or session replays of your activity on our site. As described further below, we may disclose this information to third-party partners, including analytics and advertising partners.
2. How does 23andMe use cookies and other tracking technology?
Like most online services, 23andMe uses cookies in order to do things like keep your 23andMe data secure, help us improve our Services, understand how you engage with web content and emails we send, and provide you with relevant advertising. You can find out more about the cookies we use in the table below.
| Category of Cookies | Why We Use These Cookies |
|---|---|
| Necessary | We use these cookies to provide our Services, and to detect, prevent and mitigate security risks. For example, we use these types of cookies to help you authenticate into your account securely, or to enable you to move around this site and use its features. |
| Functionality/Analytics | We use these cookies to help you do things on our Services, remember your settings and preferences, perform analytics, and to improve your experience on our Services and help provide you with enhanced features and content. For example, these cookies can be used to remember your country selection, monitor site performance, or give you referral credits when you deserve them. |
| Advertising | We use these cookies to deliver advertisements and to help us conduct marketing. They help us make advertising more relevant to you and your interests, and to measure efficiency of advertising communications and marketing campaigns. These cookies include cross-context behavioral and targeted advertising cookies. For example, these cookies remember that you have visited a website and this information may be shared with other organizations such as third party advertisers. |
3. What are my privacy options?
You may exercise consent with respect to cookies containing sensitive information. If you choose not to enable certain cookies, you may experience some loss of function or availability throughout our Service. You have a number of options to control or limit how we and third parties use cookies:
- Via our cookie management tool: If you are located in certain jurisdictions where our cookie management tool is available, such as the European Union or the United States, you can access the Cookie Choices page. You can make certain choices regarding cookies containing sensitive information that are not “Necessary” cookies. If you choose not to enable certain Cookies, you may not be able to use the referral links and get credit for referrals or share information on our Services through social media platforms.
- Via your browser settings: 23andMe believes in providing you with a frictionless experience by responding to Global Privacy Control (“GPC”) signals (also known as “Do Not Track” signals) sent by your browser or mobile device. You can enable a GPC signal on your browser or otherwise use the browser or device that you are using to view this site to enable, disable or delete first and third-party cookies.
- Third Party Opt-Outs: As described in this policy, 23andMe uses cookies from third-party analytics, advertising and marketing service providers to collect information about its Services, the effectiveness of its marketing campaigns and other operations. For example, we use the User-ID feature of Google Analytics to combine behavioral information across devices and sessions (including authenticated and unauthenticated sessions) on our Services. These third parties, including Google Analytics, provide users the ability to opt-out of their cookies.
Please note, to disable advertising cookies, some third parties may need to set an opt-out cookie on your device. Sometimes a device’s configuration may prevent such third parties from setting such cookies, for example, if your device is set to block all third party cookies by default. This means that you may need to change your device settings to accept cookies to fully disable advertising cookies.
4. How does 23andMe use third party social plugins?
23andMe uses social plugins provided and operated by third parties, such as a Facebook “share” button. If you choose to use social plugins, you may be sharing information with the company that manages the social plugins (“Social Media Third Party”) during your interactions. This means that the Social Media Third Party may be able to link information or actions about your interactions with the 23andMe Services to your account with them. Please refer to the Social Media Third Party’s privacy policies to learn more about its data practices.
5. Will this Cookie Policy be updated?
We will update this Cookie Policy from time to time. You can also revisit this page to stay informed.
6. Where can I learn more?
For more information, you can review the following resources:
- If you would like to learn more about cookies, including how to change your browser settings, please visit www.allaboutcookies.org
- If you would like more information about cookies and targeted advertisements or to opt out of having this information used by companies that are part of the Network Advertising Initiative, please visit www.networkadvertising.org/choices or the Digital Advertising Alliance, please visit youradchoices.com/control.
If you have any questions regarding 23andMe’s Cookie Policy please contact us at privacy@23andme.com.
Read the previous version of the document.