• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home World News Us & Canada

As 23andMe goes bankrupt, millions of people’s DNA data is up for sale

March 25, 2025
in Us & Canada
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
0
As 23andMe goes bankrupt, millions of people’s DNA data is up for sale
5
SHARES
11
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

With genetic testing company 23andMe filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and courting bidders, the DNA data of millions of users is up for sale. 

A Silicon Valley stalwart since 2006, 23andMe has steadily amassed a database of people’s fundamental genetic information under the promise of helping them understand their disposition to diseases and potentially connecting with relatives.

But the company’s bankruptcy filing Sunday means information is set to be sold, causing massive worry among privacy experts and advocates.

“Folks have absolutely no say in where their data is going to go,” said Tazin Kahn, CEO of the nonprofit Cyber Collective, which advocates for privacy rights and cybersecurity for marginalized people. 

“How can we be so sure that the downstream impact of whoever purchases this data will not be catastrophic?” she said.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta warned people in a statement Friday that their data could be sold. In the statement, Bonta offered users instructions on how to delete genetic data from 23andMe, how to instruct the company to delete their test samples and how to revoke access from their data’s being used in third-party research studies.

DNA data is extraordinarily sensitive. 

Its primary use at 23andMe — mapping out a person’s potential predisposed genetic conditions — is data that many people would prefer to keep private. In some criminal cases, genetic testing data has been subpoenaed by police and used to help criminal investigations against people’s relatives.

Security experts caution that if a bad actor can gain access to a person’s biometric data like DNA information, there’s no real remedy: Unlike passwords or even addresses or Social Security numbers, people cannot change their DNA.

A spokesperson for 23andMe said in an emailed statement that there will be no change to how the company stores customers’ data and that it plans to follow all relevant U.S. laws.

But Andrew Crawford, an attorney at the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology, said genetic data lawfully acquired and held by a tech company has almost no federal regulation to begin with.

Not only does the United States not have a meaningful general digital privacy law, he said, but Americans’ medical data faces less legal scrutiny if it’s held by a tech company rather than by a medical professional.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which regulates some ways in which health data can be shared and stored in the United States, largely applies only “when that data is held by your doctor, your insurance company, folks kind of associated with the provision of health care,” Crawford said.

“HIPAA protections don’t typically attach to entities that have IOT [internet of things] devices like fitness trackers and in many cases the genetic testing companies like 23andMe,” he said.

There is precedent for 23andMe’s losing control of users’ data. 

In 2023, a hacker gained access to the data of what the company later admitted were around 6.9 million people, almost half of its user base at the time.

That led to posts on a dark web hacker forum, confirmed by NBC News as at least partially authentic, that shared a database that named and identified people with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The company subsequently said in a statement that protecting users’ data remained “a top priority” and vowed to continue investing in protecting its systems and data. 

Emily Tucker, the executive director of Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy & Technology, said the sale of 23andMe should be a wake-up call for Americans about how easily their personal information can be bought and sold without their input.

“People must understand that, when they give their DNA to a corporation, they are putting their genetic privacy at the mercy of that company’s internal data policies and practices, which the company can change at any time,” Tucker said in an emailed statement.

“This involves significant risks not only for the individual who submits their DNA, but for everyone to whom they are biologically related,” she said.



Source link

Tags: 23andmebankruptdataDNAMillionspeoplesSale
Previous Post

P5.7-B tax evasion raps filed vs 5 foreigners for smuggling of cigarettes

Next Post

Diagnostic overshadowing in PTSD and autism: trauma in ASD

Related Posts

Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened

Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened

May 31, 2025
1
Bats deliver again as Blue Jays outscore A’s

Bats deliver again as Blue Jays outscore A’s

May 31, 2025
4
Next Post
Wooden,Figure,And,Question,Mark,Symbols.

Diagnostic overshadowing in PTSD and autism: trauma in ASD

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened

Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened

May 31, 2025
DOGE saves $5M annually by cutting thousands of unused government software licenses

DOGE saves $5M annually by cutting thousands of unused government software licenses

May 31, 2025
The Straits Times logo

Bali to ban production of bottled water under 1 litre

May 31, 2025
nostalgia and magic on the Night Riviera to Cornwall

nostalgia and magic on the Night Riviera to Cornwall

May 31, 2025

Recent News

Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened

Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened

May 31, 2025
1
DOGE saves $5M annually by cutting thousands of unused government software licenses

DOGE saves $5M annually by cutting thousands of unused government software licenses

May 31, 2025
3
The Straits Times logo

Bali to ban production of bottled water under 1 litre

May 31, 2025
1
nostalgia and magic on the Night Riviera to Cornwall

nostalgia and magic on the Night Riviera to Cornwall

May 31, 2025
6

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened

Salmonella outbreak in cucumbers expands to 18 states, 45 sickened

May 31, 2025
DOGE saves $5M annually by cutting thousands of unused government software licenses

DOGE saves $5M annually by cutting thousands of unused government software licenses

May 31, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co