Staff Reports
In a shocking turn of events, it has been revealed that the genetic testing company 23andMe failed to protect the personal information of millions of its users. These poor souls entrusted their genetic data to this company, only to have it fall into the hands of hackers. Is there no privacy left in this world?
Hackers Obtained Access to Millions of 23andMe Profiles, Company Says
https://t.co/YIPgfMRKNn— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 5, 2023
According to a disclosure by 23andMe to the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission, a “threat actor” managed to get their grubby little hands on users’ profile information. It turns out that this dastardly individual gained access to a small percentage of user accounts, but don’t be fooled by the numbers. Even if it’s just 0.1%, that’s still millions of people whose personal information is now floating around the dark web. Where is the justice?
And what kind of information was stolen, you ask? Well, hold on to your hats because it gets worse. Those poor souls who trusted 23andMe now have their ancestry information out there for all to see. Not only that, but a subset of users also had their health-related information compromised. Can you imagine the horror of having your DNA secrets exposed to the world? This is a slap in the face of privacy rights.
But wait, there’s more! As if things couldn’t get any worse, the hackers also accessed files containing profile information about other users’ ancestry. You see, 23andMe had this DNA Relatives feature where you could share your ancestry with others. Well, these cyber criminals took full advantage of it and exposed even more innocent people’s information. It’s like a never-ending nightmare.
To add insult to injury, it has been alleged that certain individuals were specifically targeted in this breach. According to the Connecticut Attorney General, individuals with Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese heritage may have been particularly vulnerable. This is a despicable act of targeted information theft, fueled by an increase in anti-Semitic and anti-Asian sentiments. It’s a sad reflection of the world we live in today.
This disastrous breach of personal information by 23andMe is a clear violation of privacy rights. The company has failed its users and put their trust at risk. It’s a reminder that in this digital age, caution must be exercised when sharing our most intimate information. Let this be a lesson to all: be wary of entrusting your genetic secrets to corporations that could leave you exposed and vulnerable.
