The recent announcement of 23andMe's bankruptcy has spurred many of its previous users to quickly delete their data from its annals to avoid leaking their information.
That news turned out to be extremely personal for one Whit Johnson, who shared on a recent edition of Good Morning America over the weekend his family's connection with the company.
The 42-year-old ABC News anchor, who also hosts ABC's World News Tonight on weekends, revealed that he took a DNA test with 23andMe in 2014, accidentally unveiling a whole new complicated family web that specifically involved his father, Steve.
© Getty ImagesAs it turns out, Steve was adopted, a fact that none of them were aware of at the time. Whit's own family tree led him to an unknown relative on the site, who ended up being his father's long lost biological brother.
"That discovery led to another brother and a possible sister on my grandmother's side, and two more brothers on my grandfather's side," he shared during his recent segment.
Whit and his father discussed the complicated feelings that come with having to potentially delete their entire data, with Steve noting that "lots of people who could have the experience I had won't have it, because people just won't sign up for this stuff."
© ABCWhit did delete his data, but Steve decided not to. His co-anchors Sam Champion, Rebecca Jarvis and Linsey Davis supported his decision to share his story publicly with viewers, who all flocked to the comments section on social media to uplift him and share similar incidents.
He wrote on Instagram that he was "VERY nervous" about being so open. "I was VERY nervous to tell this story! My DNA test on 23andMe unlocked a family mystery," he penned.
"My dad is adopted. And completely by accident, I found my dad's long lost brother. That was just the beginning. Over the years, we've learned about his mother and father… and connected with a total of 4 brothers and one possible sister."
© Instagram"But now as 23andMe files for bankruptcy, many families like mine are grappling with the difficult decision to delete their genetic data."
He was back on the air the following day with his Weekend GMA co-hosts Gio Benitez and Janai Norman, discussing some of the questions he'd received from viewers.
© Good Morning America/ABC NewsHe joked that Gio's already worried "if someone's going to clone me," joking in response: "GMA's already working on that," before expanding upon the "unprecedented" nature of the case and the variety of responses to the bankruptcy filing, ranging from privacy concerns to lost data.
Whit noted: "After sharing my 23andMe story on GMA… 2 questions I'm getting a lot: One, what are the biggest privacy concerns? Two, and why did you and your dad make different decisions about deleting your data?"
© Instagram"Again, this is very personal. Everyone should consider what's right for them," he said, adding on the show that he chose to delete it because he got everything out of it that he could and had "no more questions," but it was a lot more personal for his father, hence his decision to do the opposite.
