Genetic testing company 23andMe sold users' data to the Chinese government.

Question

Genetic testing company 23andMe sold users' data to the Chinese government.

2 Answers

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wenbo_zhao · Answer 1 · 2024-09-05T17:56:50+0000

https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/article-us-genetics-company-selling-all-dna-assets-china-is-satire-2024-05-17/#:~:text=Fact%20Check-,Fact%20Check%3A%20Article%20on%20US%20genetics%20company%20selling%20'all%20DNA,assets'%20to%20China%20is%20satire&text=A%20satirical%20article%20saying%20U.S.,reference%20to%20its%20satirical%20origin.

I found the evidence that this is not true, from the article that the company never made such a claim, and second, if this will happen, the local government will definite make certain action to stop or this news will be more obvious on each news platform. Mostly right now, there is not “selling” data anymore. Most of our information are already took by government and share to the world system.

11Rilee22 · Answer 2 · 2024-09-05T18:23:47+0000

According to 23andMe’s privacy policy, the company's Business Model and Data Sharing Policy are that they collect genetic data to provide personalized health reports. They explicitly state that they do not sell any individual genetic data to third parties without the user's consent. However, 23andMe does have partnerships with pharmaceutical companies in order to conduct research using anonymized genetic data with users' consent.

In 2018, 23andMe partnered with a company called GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to use anonymized genetic data for drug development. This partnership raised some concerns about the ethical use of this data. Still, there has been no credible or factual evidence to suggest that the data is being shared with foreign governments.

Concerning the Chinese Government, there is no credible evidence or reports from a reliable source to support the claim that 23andMe sold users' data to the Chinese government. However, some of the company's investors are from China. These investments include WuXi Healthcare Ventures, a Chinese-backed fund, which raised concerns about potential access to genetic data. But again, no evidence has been provided to show that this led to data being sold or transferred to the Chinese government.

Media coverage and investigations regarding this topic have been covered by several media outlets, including The New York Times and Wired, which have covered the privacy concerns surrounding genetic testing companies like 23andMe. Still, no one has confirmed any involvement with the Chinese government. In official statements from 23andMe, these allegations have been repeatedly denied. They assure that all data sharing is done only with the user’s consent and that none of the data is being sold to governments, including the Chinese government. In conclusion, this claim is false.

Sources:

23andMe Privacy Policy. (2023). https://www.23andme.com/legal/privacy/

The New York Times. (2018). How GlaxoSmithKline Uses 23andMe Data

Wired. (2020). Data Privacy Concerns at Genetic Testing Companies

23andMe. (2019). https://www.23andme.com/privacy/