by Demand:
Genetic testing company 23andMe sold user data to the Chinese government.
Rating:
In May 2024, a rumor spread that the genetic testing company 23andMe – which provides information on ancestry and health using a saliva sample – sold user data to the Chinese government. The claim could be found on various social media platforms, including Facebook and X.
The claim that 23andMe sold user data to the Chinese government spread largely through a screenshot of an article that appeared on Medium, an online publishing platform.
23 and I sell all DNA assets to China.
“Why didn’t you do 23 and me, Cody? Why aren’t you interested in your heritage? Aren’t you curious??”
No. pic.twitter.com/CVWGiICN8s
— CAMELCAST OFFICIAL (@CAMELCASTOff) May 14, 2024
The Middle section [archived here]Posted by author Matt Ryan Allen on February 21, 2024, started:
23 & Me Sells All DNA Assets to Chinese Government in $10 Billion Deal
Salt Lake City, UT – In a groundbreaking move that sent shock waves through the biotech industry, 23 & Me, the leading personal genomics and biotech company, has officially announced the sale of its entire DNA database to the Chinese government for a whopping 10 billion dollars. The move, called a “giant leap in international genetic research collaboration” by some and a “dystopian sci-fi movie” by others, is the first time a government has bought direct access to the genetic information of millions of individuals. .
However, the article was completely made up and had no basis in fact. If readers had scrolled to the bottom of the post (sometimes scrolling to the bottom of the article is impossible without a Medium membership), they would have found this disclaimer:
Disclaimer: This article is a work of parody and for entertainment purposes only. No such sale or agreement has been made between 23 & Me and any government. Please read with a sense of humor and a grain of salt.
The article also contained some hints of its satirical nature. The actual title of the company is 23andMe, not 23 & Me. The article also stated that Gene Hackmore was the CEO of 23andMe, but the actual CEO, as of this writing, is 23andMe Co-Founder Anne Wojcicki.
There is no evidence that such a transaction took place between 23andMe and the Chinese government, as of this writing. However, shortly after the publication of the article on Medium, article [archived here] The Washington Post detailed a new Biden order that would “flow Americans’ sensitive data to China,” including genetic data. The article said:
The most sensitive categories include people’s DNA and biometric data, as well as computer keyboard usage patterns. It is not intended, for example, to prevent an American from sending DNA to the genomics company 23andMe to see if she has distant relatives in China, although the firm would be prohibited from selling data in bulk with China or work with Chinese processing. firm, they said.
US officials noted that BGI Group, a Chinese company with a US subsidiary, operates the China National GeneBank, a massive government-owned repository that now includes genetic data from millions of people around the world. Intelligence officials say they believe Chinese companies are trying to obtain DNA from Americans.
A lawsuit filed in January 2024 against 23andMe regarding a security breach that targeted Jewish and Chinese customers received widespread news coverage, including from the New York Times, Reuters, and CBS.
On the 23andMe website, the company’s privacy policy states that it “will not share your genetic data with employers, insurance companies, public databases or third-party marketers without your express consent.”
(23andMe)
Sources:
Allan, Matt Ryan. ’23 & Me Sold All DNA Assets to Chinese Government in $10 Billion Deal’. Medium21 February 2024, https://medium.com/@matt.ryanallen/23-me-sells-all-dna-assets-to-chinese-government-in-10-billion-dollar-deal-030db9e4e1e8.
Anne Wojcicki – 23andMe | LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/annewojcicki. Accessed 16 May 2024.
Bloomberg – Are You a Robot? https://www.bloomberg.com/tosv2.html?vid=&uuid=a6126c3e-13d9-11ef-b500-f0626e042496&url=L25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZXMvMjAyNC0wMi0wNy9lGZlbi lcmljYW5zLXBlcnNvbmFsLWRhdGEtZ29pbmctdG8tY 2hpbmE=. Accessed 16 May 2024.
Carballo, Rebecca, et al. ’23andMe Breach Targets Jewish and Chinese Customers, Lawsuit Says’. The New York Times26 January 2024. NYTimes.comhttps://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/26/business/23andme-hack-data.html.
Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/pamela.elam.7/posts/pfbid0Dxcb49oxasm2VhWWgu9En7D6hMoVwftE9ZVRam1S9Y9fdEEyKd5rqRKtfZVWkirkl. Accessed 16 May 2024.
‘Https://Twitter.Com/CAMELCASTOff/Status/1790434849771196471′. X (formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/CAMELCASTOff/status/1790434849771196471 . Accessed 16 May 2024.
‘Https://Twitter.Com/Rothmus/Status/1790408907828957254′. X (formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/Rothmus/status/1790408907828957254. Accessed 16 May 2024.
Nakashima, Ellen, and Drew Harwell. ‘New Biden Order Would Flow Americans’ Sensitive Data to China’. Washington Post26 February 2024. www.washingtonpost.comhttps://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/26/biden-sensitive-data-china-ban/ .
Satter, Raphael, and Raphael Satter. ‘Hackers Announce 23andMe Data Sale on Leaked Data Forum’. Reuters6 October 2023. www.reuters.comhttps://www.reuters.com/technology/hackers-advertise-sale-23andme-data-leaked-data-forum-2023-10-06/ .
TikTok – Make Your Day. https://www.tiktok.com/discover/23-and-me-sold-to-china. Accessed 16 May 2024.
‘US Senator Asks 23andMe for Data After Data Reported for Online Sale’. Reuters20 October 2023. www.reuters.comhttps://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senator-asks-23andme-details-after-reported-data-sale-online-2023-10-20/ .
’23andMe did not sell all DNA data to China’. Absolute Fact15 May 2024, https://fullfact.org/online/23-and-me-dna-data-china-satire/.
23andMe Hack Lets ‘Threat Actor’ Access Data for Millions of Customers, Company Says – CBS News. 5 December. 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hackers-accessed-23andme-dna-data-millions-users/.
23 and me. Privacy and Data Protection – 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/privacy/. Accessed 16 May 2024.
