23andme Sale Comes With Privacy Concerns

A bankruptcy tribunal has approved nan waste of 23andMe to TTAM Research Institute. In an email sent retired to customers connected Tuesday, July 1, nan familial testing patient announced nan woody is apt to spell done by July 8.

23andMe sale

TTAM purchased nan fledgling institution for $305 cardinal aft 23andMe filed for bankruptcy backmost successful March. California-based TTAM is led by erstwhile 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki.

“Core to my beliefs is that individuals should beryllium empowered to person prime and transparency pinch respect to their familial information and person nan opportunity to proceed to study astir their ancestry and wellness risks arsenic they wish,” Wojcicki said successful a statement. “The early of healthcare belongs to each of us.”

This waste replaces a erstwhile bid from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, which wanted to acquisition nan institution for $256 million.

TTAM’s acquisition besides includes Lemonaid Health, a telemedicine institution purchased by 23andMe backmost successful 2021 for $400 million.

Customer privacy

In their email to customers, 23andMe emphasized that “customer privateness is astatine nan halfway of TTAM’s mission.” They besides assured customers that immoderate individual information and relationship accusation will proceed to beryllium safeguarded nether 23andMe’s privateness commitments.

Founded successful 2006, 23andMe now has astir 15 cardinal customers. Those customers do person nan expertise to opt retired of immoderate investigation aliases permanently delete their data. That intends if you are a customer and delete your information anterior to nan finalization of nan sale, TTAM should not person entree to it.

According to their email, 23andMe is required to springiness customers 2 days’ announcement earlier nan waste is complete, pinch specifications connected privateness commitments and really to delete their data.

Sale objections

Last month, 27 authorities attorneys wide and nan District of Columbia filed a associated lawsuit to artifact nan sale, aiming to protect customers’ individual familial information.

However, a lawyer who represented Oregon successful that suit said this result would satisfy nan state’s concerns. Not each authorities is connected board, though. The bankruptcy judge who approved nan waste acknowledged that Kentucky, Tennessee, Utah, Texas and California still opposed nan sale.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s agency said pinch Politico connected Monday, June 30, and said this waste does not comply pinch California’s Genetic Information Privacy Act, aliases GIPA, which requires companies to get opt-in consent from customers earlier trading their familial accusation to 3rd parties.

“We judge that 23andMe’s projected bankruptcy waste of immense amounts of familial information and biologic samples to TTAM — aliases perchance different purchasers — does not comply pinch GIPA and are disappointed successful nan tribunal greenish lighting nan waste contempt our objection,” Bonta spokesperson Elissa Perez told Politico.

Perez went connected to opportunity nan authorities is considering adjacent steps. Meanwhile, nan institution plans to complete nan sale.

“We stay focused connected completing nan steps basal to finalize nan transaction successful nan weeks up truthful nan Company tin move into its adjacent section arsenic a nonprofit,” said Mark Jensen, chair of nan committee and personnel of nan Special Committee of nan Board of Directors of 23andMe.