So, like, three congressmen are all up in arms about data privacy, you know? It’s been a few weeks since 23andMe went bankrupt and now everyone is freaking out about what’s gonna happen to all that personal info. Brett Guthrie, Gus Bilirakis, and Gary Palmer, the Republican reps, sent a letter to the interim CEO, Joe Selsavage, demanding answers by May 1. They wanna know what’s gonna go down with that genetic database that’s got info on, like, 15 million people.
I mean, can you imagine if that data falls into the wrong hands? HIPAA protections are iffy, state laws on genetic privacy are all over the place, and who knows what could happen if the company gets sold off? Sara Geoghegan, from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, is basically saying we’re all screwed if our DNA info gets out there. And she’s got a point, you know?
California’s Attorney General, Rob Bonta, is telling folks to delete their data from 23andMe, just to be safe. And now the company’s website is crashing ’cause everyone’s trying to get rid of their info. It’s like a mad rush to protect our privacy.
But hey, 23andMe is saying they got our backs, promising that our data will stay safe even if they sell off the company. But come on, how can we really trust that? The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the FTC are also poking around, asking questions about how they’re gonna protect our info.
I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling kinda uneasy about all this. Genetic data is personal stuff, you know? We gotta keep an eye on what’s happening with 23andMe and make sure our privacy is actually being protected. The last thing we need is our DNA floating around in the wrong hands. Let’s hope they figure this mess out soon.
