DNA and genetic testing firm 23andme were in shock following a 2023 data violation and the ongoing financial decline. The former giant giant now faced an uncertain future While losses are backing down the companyConcerns about what can happen in 23andMe's genetic data can happen about 15 million customers.
Introduced to saliva-based test-based kits that offer a glimpse of a person's genetic ancestor, 23andMe has seen a plummet value of more than 99% from the $ 6 billion peak from going public in early 2021 after failing income failing.
The lack of income has been linked to the consumer interest prevention of the 23andMe's use-of-the-day test kit and the flawless growth of its subscription services. The company has been brought by a Big month breaking the data who saw hackers stole the ancestral data of nearly 7 million users throughout 2023. The company Sumang -according to September to pay $ 30 million to resolve a violation -related lawsuit.
Less than a week later, 23andme founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki said she was “considering third-party acquisition measures” for the company. Wojcicki quickly walked the statement, rather than he says Plans to make the company private. But the damage is over, and all the independent members of the company board have resigned from the immediate impact.
After filing for losses protection in March 2024, the company's properties-including extensive DNA data banks-will be sold through a court sale. Wojcicki also resigned from the company.
Where does the millions of genetic data of people leave?
23andme mainly by its own policies
As 2023 data violations have proven, who saw hackers stole information such as reports of genetic predisposition and ancestors, 23andme collects a ton of information to its users.
If you are one of the many million -millions of your saliva to 23andme to find out about your ancestor, you may assume that this data will remain private under the law, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The HIPAA, as it is known, sets standards for protecting sensitive health information from being disclosed without a person's knowledge or consent.
However, 23andMe is not a company covered under HIPAA. As such, 23andme is largely dependent only by its own privacy policies, which can change at any time.
Andy Kill, a spokesman for 23andme, told Techcrunch that the company believes it is a “more suitable and transparent model for the data we manage, rather than the HIPAA model used by the traditional healthcare industry.”
A lack of federal regulation and a widespread disturbance of state privacy laws ultimately means that if 23andme is faced with a sale, millions of Americans are also at the table. The company's privacy policy states that its customers' personal information is “can be accessed, sold or moved” as part of a losses, integration, acquisition, reorganization, or sale.
The fact that customer data is a salable asset has also been made clear by Wojcicki, that reported to have been told to investors That 23andme has not continued drug development programs intensely and instead focus on marketing the extensive customer data database to pharmaceutical and researchers.
23andMe maintains that its data privacy policies will not change in the event of a sale. These policies state that the company will never share users' information with insurance companies, or law enforcement without a warrant. The latter is increasingly turning to third-party DNA companies for genetic information, but 23andme has up to date all US law enforcement requests for such data, according to In the long -term transparency report.
Potential buyers of 23andMe can have completely different ideas about how to use the potentially important trove of company data. Privacy advocates at the Digital Rights Group Electronic Frontier Foundation have Driven 23andme to prevent a sale To any company that is related to law enforcement, it has warned that customer genetics data can be used by the police to accidentally seek evidence of crimes.
“Our own promise to apply the terms of our Privacy Policy to our customers' personal information in case a sale or transfer is clear: 23andMe Terms of Service and Privacy Policy will remain in place unless until customers are shown in, and agree with, new terms and statements – and only after receiving the appropriate notice of any new terms, under the law, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms, under the appropriate terms of the new terms,” under the appropriate terms of the protection of data protection, ” by Kill in Techcrunch.
Your account has been actively deleted
Now as 23andme is faced with losses, there are calls for 23andme customers who take action today to protect their data from sale.
California's attorney Rob Bonta said in a statement after 23andme filed for losses that state residents are entitled Request the removal of their genetic data under state law.
Meredith Whittaker, the President of the end-to-end president encrypted Messaging app signal, said at A post on x“ [23andMe]For all your sakes, close your/their account now. “
Eva Galperin, the director of cybersecurity at EFF, also warned users to take action. “If you have a 23andMe account, today is a good day to login and ask for removal of your data,” Galperin told a Post on x.
Asking for removing your 23andme data is relatively easy.
Log in to your 23andMe account and navigate toward Settings > Account information > Delete your account. 23AndMe will motivate you to confirm your decision, warning that removing your account is permanent and irreversible.
There is an important caveat. As mentioned in the 23andMe privacy policy, account removal is “subject to maintenance requirements and some exceptions,” which means the company can handle some of your data for an unspecified time.
For example, 23andMe will maintain your genetic, date of birth, and gender “if necessary for compliance” and maintain limited data related to your removal request, “including but not limited to, your email address, account removal request,” communications related to questions or complaints and legal agreements. “
Similarly, if you are already in the 23andme sharing your data for research purposes, you can reverse that permission, but there is no way you can delete that information. Kill told Techcrunch that around 80% of 23andme customers – approximately 12 million people – agreed to participate in its research program.
It was first published on October 19, 2024 and has been updated since.
