23andMe bankruptcy under congressional investigation for customer data
Summary
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is investigating 23andMes decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and has expressed concern that its sensitive genetic data is "at risk of being compromised," CNBC has learned. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., and Rep. Gary Palmer, R.-Ala., sent a letter to 23andMes interim CEO Joe Selsavage on Thursday requesting answers to a series of questions about its data and privacy practices by May 1. "With the lack of a federal comprehensive data privacy and security law, we write to express our great concern about the safety of Americans most sensitive personal information," Guthrie, Bilirakis and Palmer wrote in the letter. DNA data is particularly sensitive because each persons sequence is unique, meaning it can never be fully anonymized, according to the National Human Genome Research Institute. "To constitute a qualified bid, potential buyers must, among other requirements, agree to comply with 23andMes consumer privacy policy and all applicable laws with respect to the treatment of customer data," 23andMe said in the release.