23andMe Faces Class Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Privacy Breach Targeting Chinese And Ashkenazi Jewish Customers

Genetic testing company 23andMe Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ME) is under fire in a class action lawsuit, accused of inadequately protecting the privacy of nearly 7 million customers whose personal information was compromised in a data breach last year. 

The lawsuit, filed yesterday in federal court in San Francisco, alleges that the company failed to notify customers with Chinese and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage about being specifically targeted, reported The New York Times. 

Their genetic information was reportedly compiled into “specially curated lists” that were shared and sold on the dark web, the report added.

The legal action was initiated following 23andMe’s submission to the California Attorney General’s Office, revealing a data breach spanning five months, from late April 2023 to September 2023.

The company became aware of the breach on Oct. 1, when a hacker claimed to have customer data and posted a sample on a 23andMe subreddit. 

The company disclosed the breach on Oct. 6, attributing it to the use of recycled login credentials.

Data Breach Details And Fallout

The breach reportedly exposed information from 5.5 million “DNA Relatives” profiles, including geographic location, birth year, family tree and uploaded photos. 

An additional 1.4 million customers’ profile information was accessed through a feature called “Family Tree.” The lawsuit underscores concerns about the use of breached data, particularly amid rising antisemitic hate speech and violence, the report added.

On Oct. 1, a hacker named “Golem” leaked the personal data of over 1 million 23andMe users with Jewish ancestry in an online forum. 

This included full names, home addresses and birth dates. Subsequently, Golem provided profile information of 100,000 Chinese customers, raising fears about potential misuse of the exposed data, according to the report.

Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) has called for an FBI investigation into the breach, expressing concerns about the leaked data’s possible use by extremist groups. 

“The leaked data could empower Hamas, their supporters, and various international extremist groups to target the American Jewish population and their families,” Gottheimer wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to The New York Times.

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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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