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DNA testing firm 23andMe faces new lawsuit over privacy breach

DNA testing firm 23andMe faces new lawsuit over privacy breach

The genetic testing company 23andMe is accused of failing to protect the privacy of millions of its customers in a new class action lawsuit, after a devastating cyberattack last year. Over the course of five months in 2023, hackers stole the ancestry and genetic data of seven million users – about half of 23andMe’s customer base. Hackers first accessed customers’ sensitive genetic data in April 2023, but 23andMe did not become aware of the breach until October, when the stolen information was advertised on Reddit and other online forums. According to the lawsuit, which was filed last Friday, the company failed to notify customers with Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese heritage that their sensitive genetic information was specifically targeted, after it became aware that this data was shared and sold on the dark web in “curated lists”. This is the latest in over 30 lawsuits related to the breach. In a letter to some individuals in December, 23andMe blamed its own users who “negligently recycled and failed to update their passwords following… past security incidents.”


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