US House committee seeks testimony from 23andMe co-founder after bankruptcy

Reuters

Tue, Apr 15, 2025, 4:07 AM 2 min read

(Reuters) -A U.S. House committee connected Monday asked 23andMe's co-founder to attest adjacent period arsenic it launched an probe into the hazard of familial information being transferred to imaginable buyers amid the DNA investigating company's bankruptcy.

James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky and the president of the House Committee connected Oversight and Government Reform, sent a missive to 23andMe's Anne Wojcicki, seeking her grounds connected May 6 arsenic good arsenic documents and accusation from the genomics firm.

The genomics steadfast filed for bankruptcy extortion past period aft struggling with anemic request for its ancestry investigating kits.

Wojcicki made aggregate failed takeover bids for the institution and resigned arsenic its CEO successful March. She is inactive a committee subordinate of the company.

The bankruptcy filing has raised concerns astir wherever the familial information it collected would go. The institution has said the bankruptcy process volition not impact however it stores, manages, oregon protects lawsuit data.

23andMe collects saliva samples to supply insights into ancestry and wellness risks.

There were concerns the information connected 23AndMe's much than 15 cardinal customers, if not protected sufficiently, could beryllium accessed by countries specified arsenic China, oregon utilized for assessing higher security premiums, among different purposes, Comer said.

"We request to guarantee the information of Americans' data," Comer said successful the letter.

The institution was besides the people of a hack successful 2023, erstwhile idiosyncratic information of astir 7 cardinal customers was exposed implicit 5 months.

The institution has besides made astatine slightest 30 deals with pharmaceutical companies specified arsenic GSK, giving them entree to its database. Most of its agreements stay undisclosed.

23andMe said successful March immoderate purchaser volition beryllium required to comply with applicable laws astir however lawsuit information is treated.

(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole; Editing by Leroy Leo)