Congress Is Investigating 23andMe’s Dealing with of Private Information

Republican lawmakers related to the Home Committee on Vitality and Commerce are probing the 23andMe chapter out of concern for Individuals’ DNA data.

The troubled genomics firm has been in a downward spiral ever because it suffered an unlucky knowledge breach in 2023. The corporate has since endured a maelstrom of battle and controversy, together with layoffs, litigation, and a plummeting monetary valuation. In March, it filed for Chapter 11 chapter and has been on the lookout for a purchaser for its genetic knowledge enterprise ever since.

On Friday, Congressmen Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Gary Palmer (R-AL), sent a letter to 23andMe making a number of inquiries concerning the firm’s dealing with of Individuals’ knowledge. The letter notes {that a} choose “just lately dominated 23andMe has the best to promote the delicate medical and genetic data of its 15 million clients, which is taken into account to be the corporate’s most precious asset” and states that, with “the shortage of a federal complete knowledge privateness and safety legislation, we write to precise our nice concern concerning the security of Individuals’ most delicate private data.”

The letter notes that some clients have reported difficulties in deleting their accounts and knowledge, and asks the corporate to clarify what number of of these deletion requests have been fulfilled. It additionally asks whether or not the corporate has a “vetting course of” in place to find out whether or not its potential purchaser has a “historical past of implementing knowledge safety protections and compliance with sectoral, state, or another knowledge privateness and safety legal guidelines.”

It must be famous that whereas the Republican letter complains of an absence of a “federal complete knowledge privateness” legislation, lawmakers have solely themselves guilty for this, given the truth that there have been a number of (failed) makes an attempt to cross such a legislation.

Gizmodo reached out to 23andMe for remark.

Concern for 23andMe person knowledge could also be excessive, though the corporate has repeatedly promised to proceed defending clients’ data. A press release from March notes that to “represent a certified bid, potential patrons should, amongst different necessities, comply with adjust to 23andMe’s shopper privateness coverage and all relevant legal guidelines with respect to the remedy of buyer knowledge.” In different phrases, the info privateness assurances that the corporate at present guarantees will likely be carried over to no matter firm buys the enterprise.

Chances are you’ll really feel that doesn’t quantity to a lot, given the truth that the corporate has already allowed person data to be compromised through its earlier knowledge leak. In that case, you may nonetheless ask the corporate to delete your data through the method described here, courtesy of the Digital Frontier Basis.