Twenty-seven US states and Washington D.C have filed a lawsuit in Oregon’s bankruptcy court, seeking to block the sale of 23andMe’s personal genetic data without customers’ consent. The suit comes as biotech firm Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is acquiring the company for $256 million.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said customer genetic data, including DNA and medical records, cannot be sold without explicit permission. Customers have a right to control this sensitive information, which is not like ordinary property that can be bought and sold.
23andMe was founded in 2006 and offers saliva-based DNA testing kits for ancestry research and finding relatives. However, the company struggled to find a profitable business model after going public in 2021. It recently laid off 40% of its staff and filed for bankruptcy protection.
Regeneron says it will comply with 23andMe’s privacy policies and protect customer data. A court-appointed consumer privacy ombudsman is set to examine the sale and its potential impact on customer privacy.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2025/06/10/nx-s1-5429041/23andme-states-lawsuit-genetic-data