Privacy advocates and government officials are urging users to delete their DNA data from 23andMe while blockchain builders seek to bring genomics onchain.
DNA testing firm 23andMe is bankrupt, and now the genomic data of its 15 million users is up for sale to the highest bidder. Could that data end up on the blockchain?
The company announced on March 23 that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and that its CEO, Anne Wojcicki, had stepped down. The announcement sent waves of concern among 23andMe’s customers, many of whom are now scrambling to delete their data from the service.
Privacy advocates and government officials have weighed in, urging users to download and then delete their data. The sense of urgency increased on March 26 when a judge gave 23andMe the official stamp of approval to sell user data. Still, there is the question of where these users should move their data and whether there is a better alternative.
