WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans are opening an investigation into 23andMe after the genetic testing company filed bankruptcy earlier this year, raising questions about what would happen to millions of Americans’ DNA information uploaded to its database.
The House Oversight Committee announced an investigation on Tuesday citing concerns that the shuttering of the company could leave data vulnerable to “malign foreign actors” such as the Chinese Communist Party. In response, committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is requesting documents and other materials related to the bankruptcy filing for further review.
“The bankruptcy filing of 23andMe, Inc. — a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company in possession of personal genetic data of millions of Americans — raises significant concerns regarding potential transfers of customers’ and family members’ sensitive personal data to various interested entities, including the Chinese Communist Party,” Comer wrote in a letter to 23andMe board member and former CEO Anne Wojcicki.
In response, Comer is pressing Wojcicki to testify before the committee about the company’s bankruptcy and potential sale.
Comer pointed to the company’s practice of asking customers to provide a saliva sample that is then analyzed to uncover details about ancestry, family traits, and more. However, because of investments in recent years from foreign countries, there have been concerns about China and other countries attempting to acquire this data, the chairman said.
In his letter, Comer cited reporting that shows foreign countries “trying to dominate these technologies” as well as its track record of “misusing genetic data.” For example, China has previously used genetic tests to track members of the Uyghur minority group, according to a 2019 report by the New York Times.
But concerns of data exploitation don’t only apply to foreign actors, Comer said. The Kentucky Republican also warned of widespread exploitation by private entities to use the private data to enforce higher insurance premiums, deny health credits, or implement targeted advertising based on customers’ genetic testing.
As a result, Comer is pressing Wojcicki to provide company information to “ensure Americans’ genetic data is safeguarded from malign foreign actors.”
The committee is requesting access to all documents and communications in Wojcicki’s personal possession related to 23andMe’s bankruptcy filing as well as any related materials detailing the company’s potential sale or transfer of user data and information.
Additionally, Comer is calling on Wojcicki to testify before the committee on May 6.
The investigation comes after 23andMe announced in March that company leaders had initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy and planned on selling the company.
The company maintains it will continue to “safeguard customer data” and be “transparent about the management of user data going forward,” but attorneys general across the country, including Utah Attorney General Derek Brown, released alerts urging 23andMe patrons to delete their data.
Shortly after the bankruptcy announcement, Wojcicki resigned from her position as co-founder and CEO.