23andMe has pledged to follow new guidelines on how they handle people's DNA

Home DNA testing company 23andMe alongside a host of other companies have pledged new guidelines regarding the use of genetic data.

The guidelines, dubbed Privacy Best Practices for Consumer Genetic Testing Services, was developed by the Future of Privacy Forum, alongside 23andMe as well as similar firms like Ancestry, Helix, MyHeritage, and Habit.

The companies have agreed they'll get express consent from consumers when they share genetic data to third parties, as well as ensure there is transparency in how that data is collected, used, and shared.

Consumers will also have the right to access, correct, or delete their data, as well as a ban on sharing data with law enforcement agencies, insurance companies and employers without consent.

The announcement comes a week after 23andMe signed a deal with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. The agreement allows GSK access 23andMe's database of customer DNA, for the purpose of developing future drugs.

The deal was alarming to the likes of Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, who told TIME he was concerned about privacy.

"If people are concerned about their social security numbers being stolen, they should be concerned about their genetic information being misused," Pitts told the publication.

"This information is never 100% safe. The risk is magnified when one organization shares it with a second organization. When information moves from one place to another, there’s always a chance for it to be intercepted by unintended third parties."

According to 23andMe, about 80 percent of 23andMe's customers have consented to participate in research.