DNA databases hold genetic information about a user’s relatives even if they didn’t send a sample of consent to any data collection. The 23andMe data breach should make us rethink privacy and data security, says this McGill University associate professor of law.
23andMe, the Google-owned company that collects DNA for ancestry and genetic predisposition tests, had a massive data breach on Oct 6, 2023. Rather, hackers targeted hundreds of individual user accounts - allegedly those that had weak or repeated passwords. After gaining access to the accounts, hackers could leverage the “DNA relatives matches” function of 23andMe to get information about thousands of people who didn’t use the service.
The ramifications of overlooking how personal data affects others extend to the entire information economy. Every individual choice about personal data has spillover effects on others. Companies draw conclusions about people by analysing data collected from others, making probabilistic assessments based on personal characteristics and relationships. Companies continue to add information about people to their datasets daily.
And, the more people a dataset like the one built by 23andMe includes, the less someone’s choice not to be part of it matters. Individuals on the list now face increased risk of discrimination or harassment, as leaked data includes names and location. They could do the same for people with a propensity for type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s disease or dementia - all of which 23andMe measures - putting them at risk of other harms, from raised insurance premiums to employment discrimination.
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