The privacy of our data mustn’t get breached in acquisition cases

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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. The genetic testing company 23andMe offers ordinary people a simple service for them to better understand their genetic roots. All they need to do is order the company’s saliva kits, spit into a tube provided and mail it back.

The company then sequences the genetic material in the sample and generates a report about their ancestry, the risk that they may be carriers of disease markers or have a predisposition to certain illnesses, and how their body may react to certain medications. To date, over 15 million customers have submitted their personal genetic data to 23andMe. As it happens, 23AndMe is not doing well as an enterprise.

Its stock has fallen by close to 99% from its peak valuation of $6 billion back in 2021 and employees are being laid off in tranches. The company’s entire board has resigned over a disagreement with its founder-CEO Anne Wojcicki, who said that she is open to selling the company—along with its massive stockpile of DNA data—to the highest bidder. This must have come as a shock to its customers, all of whose genetic information is now up for grabs by the highest bidder.

I cannot imagine any of them having thought that the DNA data they were submitting in order to get trivial personal insights would end up being sold in a fire sale. Had the thought even entered their minds, I am sure they would have evaluated more seriously whether the benefits they stood to receive from the company were worth the risk of having their genetic data put into the hands of an unknown third party. In a recent article, privacy expert Daniel J.