23andme Files for Bankruptcy Amid Privacy Concerns
The Story
Genetic testing pioneer 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy following years of financial struggle and a massive data breach, prompting urgent privacy concerns regarding the sensitive DNA profiles of over 15 million users.
While the company maintains that data protection remains a priority during its search for a buyer, experts warn that limited federal oversight leaves customers vulnerable, leading many to recommend that users manually delete their accounts and request the destruction of their biological samples.
While the company maintains that data protection remains a priority during its search for a buyer, experts warn that limited federal oversight leaves customers vulnerable, leading many to recommend that users manually delete their accounts and request the destruction of their biological samples.
Why It Matters
23andMe's bankruptcy did not end with Regeneron's $256 million winning bid: founder Anne Wojcicki's nonprofit reopened the auction and took the company at $305 million, closing July 14, 2025 as the nonprofit 23andMe Research Institute GenomeWeb. Attorneys general in 28 states had objected to the sale, and two years of breach fallout ended for now in an $18 million multistate settlement over the 2023 hack that exposed 6.9 million users the New York Attorney General. Roughly 13 million customers never exercised deletion rights the sale order preserves indefinitely, so the genetic database outlives the company that collected it until they act.
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Read the original reporting at NPR.
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