23andMe genetic data customers may be at greater risk than they realize, a suggests A story from the New York Times which argues that the company’s problems could be short-lived compared to the longer-term threats these approximately 15 million people face if 23andMe cannot continue.
Certainly, founder and CEO Anne Wojcicki’s hopes of turning around 23andMe are looking increasingly unfeasible. Following a major infringement and dismissal massively of its independent directors, the company, once valued at $6 billion, is now valued at $150 million. It’s about to become that deleted next month. Press stories don’t help. (Would you buy one of his DNA kits?)
The company says it remains committed to “following the laws that govern the data we collect,” but if that can no longer be done at some point soon, that’s a concern, a Yale biomedical professor told the Times. He notes that hacked credit cards can be replaced, while a genome cannot. Meanwhile, he adds, the technology that analyzes genomes is advancing. Chances are it will be more revealing too.
