23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million users | TechCrunch
techcrunch.com
Genetic testing company 23andMe revealed that its data breach was much worse than previously reported, hitting about half of its total customers.

23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million users::Genetic testing company 23andMe revealed that its data breach was much worse than previously reported, hitting about half of its total customers.

  • ugh@lemm.eeEnglish
    6·
    11 months ago

    I struggle to see what someone could do with that information. My ethnicity is already known by the government and every advertiser collecting my information online. I randomly had my identity connected to my cousin’s before any family took DNA tests. Her name would show up in those questionnaires along with what car I’ve owned and where I’ve lived when I had to go through online government stuff.

    I’m relatively paranoid about giving out personal information, but I don’t consider my spit very sensitive.

    • cman6@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      11 months ago

      You get a phone call from someone claiming to be from 23andme but they’re not…

      Hi it’s Jim from 23andme.
      Just going through security with you. You did a test with us on the 5th Dec, your mother is X and your father is Y.
      Ok that confirms who I am.
      So as I said it’s Jim and in your results we see you have a genetic condition which means you will have early onset dementia.
      We offer a preventative treatment. Want to enrol in the trial? It’s $200.

      Not the best example I admit but an example of how that data could be misused and you’ve just paid “Jim” $200

    • r3df0x ✡️✝☪️@7.62x54r.ruEnglish
      2·
      11 months ago

      There is a lot of job discrimination in hiring of autistic people, especially when it’s hard to fire them.

      Many places actively profile for it and consider symptoms to be red flags since they can’t explicitly ask. This is why making it hard to fire people hurts the disadvantaged.

    • TechAnon@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      It sucks as a whole. Imagine having everyone’s DNA. You can develop things that hurt a specific set of people only. It may or may not affect you directly, but it affects our communities. You’re right as an individual. No one really cares about your hair or spit and if they did, it’s very easy to get a hair sample in most cases without you even knowing it. As technology gets better there will be (maybe already are ways) to get your DNA that are less intrusive or need less material. AI trained on DNA and physical attribute could probably narrow it down A LOT using video alone.

      • psud@aussie.zoneEnglish
        1·
        11 months ago

        They don’t have anything DNA. They have generic relationships and percentages

        I can’t see any good use