Establishing a sharing connection on 23andMe allows users to view one another's profile names and information (including profile sex), information from compatible reports, your predicted relationship, and the number of overlapping DNA segments. A sharing connection does not allow either person to search or download the other person's raw data or if applicable, view reports that require an additional consent, or view and download the other person’s Reports Archive.
Sharing Levels
When inviting someone to share, you can choose between two levels as described below:
Share Ancestry Only
- Information you may have shared about your grandparents’ birthplaces (if you added this information to your profile or completed the Family Origins survey).
- Information you choose to provide in your profile (such as your current location or your ancestors' family names).
- Compare your results from your ancestry reports including the Ancestry Composition, Haplogroups, and Neanderthal Ancestry reports. As new ancestry reports are added, your profile will update.
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Please note that it is possible for your connections to infer your genetic sex via your reports. For example, your included maternal and paternal (if applicable) haplogroup assignments.
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Share Ancestry + Health
- In addition to the capabilities above, you will be able to compare results from compatible health-related and traits reports.
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Please note that sharing certain health reports with others may reveal your self-reported sex with them. For example some reports are only provided to people of a certain sex. Learn more in our How 23andMe Uses Your Self-Reported Sex and Gender help article.
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- Reports that requires additional consent - such as Late-onset Alzheimer’s Disease*, Parkinson’s Disease*, and the BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants)* genetic health risk reports - cannot be shared between accounts.
Changing Sharing Levels
It is important to keep in mind that you have the ability to update your sharing level or stop sharing at any time from within your account.
To change the sharing level with a connection:
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Go to the Your Connections feature and locate the connection’s name.
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Click on the gray gear icon located to the right of your connection’s name and next to the current sharing level.
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Select the update sharing level, and then the Update button to save your changes.
To stop sharing with a connection:
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Go to the Your Connections feature.
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Click on the gray gear icon located to the right of your connection’s name.
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Click the "Remove Connection" button.
Considerations
- When you extend a sharing invitation, your profile name will be included in the sharing invitation. Once sharing has been established between two accounts, both full profile names will be visible in each other’s accounts. You can change your sharing level or stop sharing at any time. Learn more about how sharing works.
- You would directly be sharing information about ancestral origins, family relationships (including a predicted relationship if applicable) and, if you've chosen that option, health-related information. Some people are comfortable sharing this kind of information, some are not — it's a personal choice.
- It's possible to learn about your genetic sex or self-reported sex when sharing certain ancestry or health reports.
Generally, we recommend sharing with people you are comfortable with. Sharing allows you to use more of the features on the website and adds a new dimension to what you can learn about yourself and your family. Many customers share openly with each other and have benefited from the experience. As you learn more about genetics and develop a finer sense of the issues involved, you might begin to share more openly yourself.
Additional Notes
- You may not see data for an individual with whom you are sharing if that individual's data has not yet been loaded to their account. Even though you can't see their information, they will be able to see yours. Once their data becomes available, and they have completed any required tasks, you will be able to view it.
- Information for people already listed in your sharing list may disappear if they decide to discontinue the sharing connection or close their accounts.
*The 23andMe PGS test uses qualitative genotyping to detect select clinically relevant variants in the genomic DNA of adults from saliva for the purpose of reporting and interpreting genetic health risks, including the 23andMe PGS Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants). Your ethnicity may affect the relevance of each report and how your genetic health risk results are interpreted. The test is not intended to diagnose any disease and does not describe a person's overall risk of developing any type of cancer. It is not intended to tell you anything about your current state of health, or to be used to make medical decisions, including whether or not you should take a medication, how much of a medication you should take, or determine any treatments. Warnings & Limitations: The 23andMe PGS Genetic Health Risk Report for BRCA1/BRCA2 (Selected Variants) is indicated for reporting of 44 variants in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. The report describes if a person's genetic result is associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer and may be associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, and potentially other cancers. The variants included in this report do not represent the majority of the BRCA1/BRCA2 variants in people of most ethnicities. This report does not include variants in other genes linked to hereditary cancers and the absence of variants included in this report does not rule out the presence of other genetic variants that may impact cancer risk. This report is for over-the-counter use by adults over the age of 18, and provides genetic information to inform discussions with a healthcare professional. The PGS test is not a substitute for visits to a healthcare professional for recommended screenings or appropriate follow-up. Results should be confirmed by an independent genetic test prescribed by your own healthcare provider before taking any medical action.