A U.S. House committee is calling on 23andMe’s co-founder to testify next month as part of an investigation into the security of genetic data amid the company’s bankruptcy.
On Tuesday, James Comer, a Republican representative from Kentucky and chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent a letter to Anne Wojcicki, the co-founder of 23andMe, requesting her testimony on May 6. The committee is also seeking documents and information from the company.
23andMe, known for its DNA testing services, filed for bankruptcy protection last month after facing low demand for its ancestry testing kits. Wojcicki, who resigned as the CEO in March, had attempted to sell the company multiple times but was unsuccessful. She remains a board member.
The bankruptcy has sparked concerns about the future of the genetic data 23andMe has collected from over 15 million customers. While the company assures that the bankruptcy will not affect how it stores or protects customer data, there are fears that this sensitive information could be sold or accessed by foreign governments, such as China, or even used to raise insurance premiums.
“We need to ensure the safety of Americans’ data,” Comer stated in the letter.
In addition to the bankruptcy, 23andMe was also the target of a data breach in 2023, exposing the personal information of nearly 7 million customers over five months. The company has also struck at least 30 deals with pharmaceutical firms, including GSK, to give them access to its database, although many of these agreements remain private.
23andMe has stated that any potential buyer of the company will be required to comply with laws regulating the treatment of customer data.
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