The Data Breach: A Crisis of Trust

In a devastating blow to both its reputation and financial stability, 23andMe suffered a major data breach in 2023. The scale and nature of this breach sent shockwaves through the genetic testing industry and raised alarm bells for privacy advocates worldwide.

The Anatomy of the Breach

The breach, which occurred over several months in 2023, resulted in hackers gaining access to the sensitive genetic information of nearly 7 million 23andMe users. The stolen data included:

• Ancestry reports
• Genetic predisposition information
• Raw genetic data