23ndme says 15 % of customers have asked to delete their genetic data from bankruptcy

Joseph Silsafag, the temporary CEO of 23andme, told the legislators on Tuesday that 1.9 million people, or about 15 % of its customer base, have asked to delete their genetic data from the company’s servers since since then I applied to protect bankruptcy in March.

Selsavage was speaking in The Supervisory Committee session in the House of RepresentativesDuring it, the legislators examined the sale of the company after a previous bankruptcy auction. The bankruptcy raised fears that the data of millions of Americans who used 23andme It can end in the hands of the buyer who is unscrupulousPaying customers to demand the company to delete their data.

The Pharmaceutical giant Regeneron won the auction approved by the court in May $ 256 million for 23andme And its banks of DNA for clients and genetic data. Regeneron said it will use 23ndme data to help discover new drugs, and is committed to maintaining 23ndme privacy practices.

The Federal Banking Court is expected to consider the Receneron presentation of 23andme later in June.

The bankruptcy of 23andme comes a year after his experience Data violation for months offered 6.9 million customers of personal data and sensitive heredity. The company blamed the data breach on its customers for not using a multi -factor authentication, rather than admitting its failure to secure customer accounts, or its inability to discover the breach until after months.

Also on Tuesday, more than twenty states, including Florida, New York and Pennsylvania, A lawsuit against 23andme to challenge the sale From its customer data. The states argue that the company cannot sell the data of its 15 million customers without explicit permission.

Techcrunch has a short guide on How to delete your 23ndme data.