Cookie Policy

Summary

This cookie policy (“Cookie Policy”) explains what cookies are and how 23andMe, Inc. (“23andMe, we, us”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit websites owned and operated by 23andMe, including www.23andme.com, any other websites, pages, features, or content we own or operate, the 23andMe mobile app, and/or when you interact with 23andMe online advertisements or marketing emails (collectively the “Services”). We encourage you to read the full Cookie Policy so that you can understand what information is collected using cookies and similar tracking technologies, and how 23andMe uses that information. We will generally refer to cookies, web beacons, flash cookies, and pixels collectively as “cookies” or “tracking technology” in this policy. This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Statement and our Terms of Service.

By using our Services, including www.23andme.com, you are agreeing that we can use cookies and other tracking technologies described in this Cookie Policy.

1. What are cookies?

Cookies are text files, containing small amounts of information, which are downloaded to your browsing device (such as a computer, mobile device or smartphone) when you visit or use our website or Services. Cookies can be recognized by the website that downloaded them — or other websites that use the same cookies. This helps websites know if the browsing device has visited them before.

There are 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 the Services and when you use other websites or mobile apps. You should check the third party’s website for more information about how they use cookies and other tracking technologies. Both first party and third party cookies can serve a number of different functions, such as analytics, marketing and advertising.

Cookies collect and process both Personal Information (as defined in the Privacy Statement), as well as information that does not identify you as an individual. To the extent that IP addresses or similar identifiers are considered Personal Information by local law, we will treat these identifiers as prescribed under such applicable laws. If we combine non-Personal Information with Personal Information, the combined information will be treated as Personal Information for as long as it remains combined.

2. What other similar tracking technologies does 23andMe use?

In addition to cookies, we may use other technologies that are similar to cookies, like web beacons, flash cookies, or pixels to track how you use our Services.

Web Beacons: Web beacons, or “clear gifs”, are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies. Web beacons are placed on a website or in an email that alone or in conjunction with cookies compile information about your usage of or your interaction with a the Services. In contrast to cookies, which are stored on a user’s computer hard drive or device, clear gifs are embedded invisibly on web pages. Similar to cookies, beacons primarily help us better manage content on our Services by informing us which content is effective.

23andMe may collect information about whether you open or click any links in the Services, Research or marketing communications that we send to you through web beacons. The analysis gathered helps us improve the effectiveness of content and format of our websites and email communications.
Flash Cookies: We may also use so-called “flash cookies” (also known as “Local Shared Objects” or “LSOs”) to collect and store information about your use of our Services. Flash cookies are commonly used for advertisements and videos.
Pixels: A “pixel” or “tag” can be placed on a website or within an email for the purposes of tracking your interactions with our websites or when emails are opened or accessed; pixels are often used in combination with cookies.

3. How does 23andMe use cookies and other tracking technology?

Cookies and other forms of tracking technology play the role of enhancing and enabling usability and website processes across our Services and communications. They help us understand how our Services are being used, letting you navigate between pages efficiently, improving the security of your Personal Information, remembering your preferences, and generally improving your browsing experience.

We also use advertising tracking technology to assist with marketing our products and services to interested individuals. We may present you with an advertisement when you leave our Services because we think you might be interested in particular products and services. Cookies also help ensure marketing you see is more relevant to you and your interests.

You can find out more about the cookies we use in the table below.

Categories of Cookies	Purposes	Description
Strictly Necessary	Authentication	We use cookies to help us show you the right information when you login to our services. These types of cookies let you navigate from page to page without having to sign in over and over again.
Strictly Necessary	Security	Some cookies help us detect, prevent, and mitigate malicious and fraudulent activities on our services. Security cookies also support and enable other security features.
Strictly Necessary	Performance	Some of our cookies are essential to make our Services work. They enable you to move around this site and use its features. Without these cookies, services that are necessary for you to be able to use the site, such as load balancing or remembering items in your shopping basket, can't be provided.
Functional	Analytics and Research	We use some cookies to collect information about how people are using our Services. For example, these cookies allow us to know which pages are visited the most often, how people are moving from one link to another and if they get error messages from certain pages. Overall, these cookies provide us with analytical information about how our Services are performing and how we can improve them.
Functional	Preferences and Settings	Your preferences may be stored in our cookies so you do not have to reset them every time you visit our services. These cookies allow us to remember the choices you make to tailor this website and provide enhanced features and content to you. For example, these cookies can be used to remember your user name, language choice or country selection, they can also be used to remember changes you've made to text size, font and other parts of pages that you can customize. In addition, they may be used to provide services you've asked for such as watching a video or commenting on a blog.
Functional	Social Media Plugins	Some of the pages on our Services contain tools or applications that are linked to third party social media service providers such as Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Through these tools or applications the social media service provider may set its own cookies on your device. We do not control these cookies and you should check the social media service provider’s website for further details about how they use cookies.
Functional	Referrals	These cookies are placed on your device when you use one of our special referral pages to create a link to refer our service to your friends. When you create your referrers account and/or send a referral link by email or social media outlet (including but not limited to Facebook and Twitter), a cookie will be placed on your device to help us track the referrals you have made and credit you with any benefit that is available in accordance with our referral program. If you receive a referral to our service and click on the link sent to you, we will also place a cookie on your device so that we can understand how well our referral program is performing and provide you with any benefit that is available to you, through the program when you sign up to our service.
Advertising	Advertising	These cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement, as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. They remember that you have visited a website and this information may be shared with other organizations such as advertisers. This means after you are done using our Service you may see some advertisements about our Services elsewhere on the Internet.
Advertising	Marketing	We use cookies to measure how you interact with our marketing communications to determine, among other things, how effective a marketing campaign is. For example, we may measure whether certain marketing communications resulted in purchases.

4. How long will cookies stay on my browsing device?

The length of time a cookie will stay on your browsing device depends on whether it is a “persistent” or “session” cookie. Session cookies will only stay on your device until you stop browsing. Persistent cookies stay on your browsing device until they expire or are deleted (i.e. after you have finished browsing). The expiration time or retention period applicable to persistent cookies depends on the purpose of the cookie collection and tool used. You may be able to delete cookie data as described below.

5. What are my privacy options?

We are committed to offering you meaningful privacy choices. You have a number of options to control or limit how we and third parties use cookies:

How to manage 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 tool by clicking “Cookie Settings”. Our cookie management tool allows you to make certain choices regarding cookies that are not Strictly Necessary. If you choose to disable or opt-out of any type of non-Strictly Necessary cookie, you may experience some loss of function throughout our Service. For example, 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.
How to manage cookies via your browser settings
Our Cookies (first party cookies)

You can use the browser or device that you are using to view this website to enable, disable or delete cookies. To do this, follow the instructions provided by your device or browser (usually located within the “Help”, “Tools” or “Edit” settings). Please note that if you elect not to activate cookies, or set your browser to disable cookies, either immediately or at a later time, you may not be able to access secure areas of the Services and other parts of the Services may also not work properly or may be limited.

Many browser manufacturers provide helpful information about cookie management, including, but not limited to:
If you use a different browser, please refer to your browser’s documentation. You can also find out more information about how to change your browser cookie settings at www.allaboutcookies.org.

Third Party Cookies

Cookies that are placed on your device by a third party usually can be managed through your browser (as described above) or by checking the third party’s website for more information about cookie management and how to “opt-out” of receiving cookies from them. 23andMe may not have the ability to manage or delete cookies or tracking technologies placed on your device by third parties.
How to opt-out of interest-based advertising
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.
How to opt-out of analytics
23andMe uses cookies, web beacons and similar technologies from third party analytics providers to collect information about the effectiveness of its marketing campaigns and other operations. In addition to using our cookie management tool, some of these analytics providers allow you to opt-out of their processing directly, as further described on their websites below:
1. Bing
2. Clicktale
3. Optimizely
4. Google Analytics (requires you to install a browser add-on)
How to disable web beacons
You may avoid web beacons by configuring your email reader or webmail to disable the functionality that enables remote images to load and by refraining from clicking on any links in email messages.

23andMe may use social plugins provided and operated by third parties, such as a Facebook “share” button. As a result of this, you may send to the third party information that you are viewing on a certain part of the 23andMe Services. If you share your 23andMe Services information with a third party, then the 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 third party’s privacy policies to learn more about its data practices.

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time for operational, legal or regulatory reasons. If we do, you will be notified when you first visit our Services after the change. You can also revisit this page if you wish to keep yourself informed.

If you have any questions regarding 23andMe’s Cookie Policy please contact 23andMe by e-mail at privacy@23andme.com.

Effective Date: January 1, 2020