Dozens of states sue to block the sale of 23andMe data without customer consent

Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia person filed a suit successful bankruptcy tribunal seeking to artifact the merchantability of idiosyncratic familial information by 23andMe without lawsuit consent

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia connected Monday filed a suit successful bankruptcy tribunal seeking to artifact the merchantability of idiosyncratic familial information by 23andMe without lawsuit consent. The suit comes arsenic a biotechnology institution seeks the court's support to bargain the struggling firm.

Biological samples, DNA data, health-related traits and aesculapian records are excessively delicate to beryllium sold without each person’s express, informed consent, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said successful a quality merchandise astir the lawsuit. Customers should person the close to power specified profoundly idiosyncratic accusation and it cannot beryllium sold similar mean property, it said.

23andMe customers usage saliva-based DNA investigating kits to larn astir their ancestry and find long-lost relatives. Founded successful 2006, the institution besides conducted wellness probe and cause development. But it struggled to find a profitable concern exemplary since going nationalist successful 2021. In March it laid disconnected 40% of its unit and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy extortion successful the Eastern District of Missouri, raising concerns astir the information of lawsuit data.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said past period it aimed to bargain the institution for $256 million. Regeneron said it would comply with 23andMe’s privateness policies and applicable law. It said it would process each lawsuit idiosyncratic information successful accordance with the consents, privateness policies and statements, presumption of service, and notices presently successful effect and person information controls successful spot designed to support specified data.

A court-appointed, autarkic user privateness ombudsman was owed to analyse the projected merchantability and however it mightiness impact user privateness and study to the tribunal by Tuesday.

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