California Sues Owner of Former 23andMe
Newser • • business
Key Points:
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against Chrome Holding Co., 23andMe's successor, over a 2023 genetic data breach affecting millions, including approximately 855,000 Californians.
- The breach originated from hackers exploiting reused passwords linked to a MyHeritage breach and scraping data from 23andMe's DNA Relatives feature, exposing sensitive information such as health data, DNA profiles, and family connections.
- Approximately 7 million users were impacted, with some data later sold on the dark web targeting Jewish and Asian American and Pacific Islander communities amid rising hate incidents.
- The lawsuit alleges the company ignored security vulnerabilities, minimized the breach's severity, and violated California privacy laws, including the Genetic Information Privacy Act.
- The state seeks civil penalties and injunctions to prevent further violations of privacy protections by 23andMe.