Regeneron is to pay $256 million in cash to acquire “substantially all” of 23andMe’s assets, including its massive biobank of around 15 million customer genetic samples and data.
Regeneron is to pay $256 million in cash to acquire “substantially all” of 23andMe’s assets, including its massive biobank of around 15 million customer genetic samples and data.
This is such a dramatic understatement. They didn’t just sell the genetic data of those 15 million customers. They sold the data of everyone they’re related to, as well. Which is the majority of the population.
You really don’t need to sample a large percentage to get the data of almost everyone.
My aunt did this along with posting a bunch of family photos and falling for those quizzes that ask your pet’s name or your childhood address. If you have one person like that the privacy of your entire family is compromised.
We told her back around 2010 not to do this kind of stuff, but she’s somewhere between “If I have nothing to hide” and “what’s the harm?”. I hope she gets it now, but we don’t talk to her often