(NewsNation) — The interim CEO of 23andMe will face questions from lawmakers Wednesday about the DNA company’s data privacy amid a multistate lawsuit about its customers’ genetic data.
Along with interim 23andMe CEO Joseph Selsavage, witnesses include:
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I. Glenn Cohen, Harvard Law School deputy dean
Brook Gotberg, BYU Law School professor
Adam Klein, Strauss Center for International Security and Law director
27 states, DC sue to block genetic data sale
Regeneron, a biotechnology company, announced on May 19 that it would “acquire substantially all of the assets” of 23andMe through a $256 million deal.
In the purchase announcement, Regeneron said it plans to process the company’s more than 15 million customers’ data “in accordance with the consents, privacy policies and statements, terms of service, and notices currently in effect.”
On Monday, dozens of states and the District of Columbia sued to block the data transfer, citing consumer consent.
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Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield called the DNA information “personal, permanent, and deeply private.”
“People did not submit their personal data to 23andMe thinking their genetic blueprint would later be sold off to the highest bidder. We’re standing up in court to make sure Oregonians — and millions of others — keep the right to control their own genetic information,” Rayfield said in a news release.
The purchase came two months after 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
23andMe files for bankruptcy after data breach
A data breach in 2023, during which hackers accessed data from nearly 7 million customer profiles, set the scene for 23andMe’s bankruptcy and the exit of its CEO, Anne Wojcicki.
The incident led to decreased interest in the company’s genetic testing kits and a $30 million class-action lawsuit settlement.
In September, the entire independent board of directors resigned. A month later, 23andMe announced mass end-of-year layoffs. Around 40% of the company’s workforce, or 200 people, were cut.
