Listen To This Story

Industry has hypercommodified every aspect of human existence, and personal data is no exception. But DNA data is in a league of its own: permanent, deeply personal, and ultimately monetized as an institutional asset.

The nonconsensual collection of genetic data was covered in a previous hashtag, but the voluntary “direct-to-consumer” DNA market, which introduces equally grave, hidden dangers, is exploding and projected to skyrocket to $2.5 billion by 2032.

The industry, led by 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and numerous smaller startups, promises fun ancestry reports and health insights. What it never advertises is that you are trading your private genome for entertainment, corporate profit, and significant risks you cannot control.

Insurance Company DNA Predation

Your DNA can be weaponized against you. Insurers and other third parties can secretly buy genetic data and feed it into AI risk models. Markers for cancer, Alzheimer’s, or other costly conditions can label you as “high risk” and result in hiked premiums or reduced coverage long before a single symptom appears.

Current US law offers weak protection. The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, or GINA, blocks discrimination in health insurance and employment but leaves life, disability, and long-term care insurance completely unprotected. 

However, GINA fines for misuse are rarely substantial, often only thousands of dollars per violation, while insurance companies can save or profit enormously. This creates only nominal deterrence and leaves companies free to exploit your genome.

Predictive models are only getting more powerful, and history shows companies routinely find ways around regulatory legislation. Once they possess your genetic data, they have little incentive to give it up if doing so would cut into profits. Your DNA becomes a permanent asset for them, not a personal safeguard for you.

When DNA Companies Fail, DNA Is for Sale

If a DNA-testing company folds, merges, or is acquired, your genetic data is treated like a corporate asset. Few regulations prevent it from being sold to buyers you never agreed to.

This is not hypothetical. For example, 23andMe disclosed a 2023 breach affecting nearly 7 million users, and GEDmatch exposed its database to law enforcement. Smaller companies vanish quietly, leaving customers uncertain where their genomes ended up. DNA is treated like any other corporate asset. It can be transferred, sold, or repackaged, without your knowledge or consent.

The ‘Fun-for-Data’ Trap

The industry markets DNA testing as fun, but this is a deception. Consumers hand over their most permanent biological identifier for a novelty ancestry chart claiming they are “17 percent Italian” or “20 percent German,” while the privacy of their biometric data is gone forever.

The trade-off is insane. Captured DNA can be reanalyzed indefinitely, used in pharmaceutical research, or combined with behavioral and demographic data to build predictive profiles. One person’s genome can expose relatives who never consented, creating threats we cannot yet imagine.

Genealogy databases are increasingly tapped in criminal investigations, even when only a single family member submits DNA. Some companies require warrants. Others cooperate broadly. As databases expand, nearly every American will be identifiable through a relative’s genetic submission, consent or not.

A Permanent Identifier in a Fragile Industry

Consumers who have submitted DNA can request deletion of raw data and account information. It’s not perfect. Physical samples may persist unless explicitly destroyed, but deletion reduces future risk.

DNA is unique. You cannot reset it like a password, revoke it like a login, or replace it like a credit card. Your genome does not belong in the servers of companies that may be breached, bought, merged, or shuttered tomorrow.

Your DNA is too valuable, too permanent, and too revealing to be treated like entertainment or a corporate asset.

Hashtag Picks

Protecting the Data of You and Me: Risks of DNA Hacking and Genomic Data Breaches Prompt Calls for Cyber-Biosecurity

From The Quantum Record: “While cybersecurity weaknesses continue to plague millions of businesses and people who lose billions of dollars annually stolen from bank accounts and credit cards, the theft of genetic information can be particularly damaging because, unlike compromised credit cards, we can’t replace our DNA. A major data breach that occurred two years ago highlights the risk.”

Audit Uncovers Security Weaknesses in the NIH All of Us Security Program

The author writes, “An audit of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) All of Us Research Program has uncovered privacy and security weaknesses that put the health information of more than 1 million individuals at risk of compromise.”

Genetic Privacy Erodes as Millions of DNA Profiles Are Entered Into US Database

The author writes, “In May 2024, researchers at Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy & Technology released a sprawling report on how the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had quietly built one of the most expansive DNA surveillance systems in American history. What began as a rule change in the waning days of Donald Trump’s first administration had by then spiraled into a massive dragnet. More than 1.5 million genetic profiles were funneled into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in just four years, dwarfing the pace of criminal law enforcement collection. The report warned that immigration powers were being twisted into a tool for population-scale genetic monitoring, with people of color disproportionately swept up into the system.”

Bankruptcy Court Approves Sale of 23andMe

The author writes, “A federal bankruptcy court has approved the sale of direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe to TTAM Research Institute. TTAM was founded by former 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki to purchase 23andMe, and will acquire the company after tabling a successful $305 million bid. Under the deal, TTAM will acquire substantially all of 23andMe’s assets, including the 23andMe Personal Genome Service and Research Services business lines, as well as the Lemonaid telehealth business.”

Genetic Data Is Another Asset to Be Exploited — Beware Who Has Yours

From The Guardian: “The bankruptcy of genealogy company 23andMe has resulted in a fire sale of millions of people’s genetic information — and there’s no shortage of eager buyers with questionable motives.”

Attorney General Bonta Urgently Issues Consumer Alert for 23andMe Customers

From the State of California Department of Justice: “California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued a consumer alert to customers of 23andMe, a genetic testing and information company. The California-based company has publicly reported that it is in financial distress and stated in securities filings that there is substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Due to the trove of sensitive consumer data 23andMe has amassed, Attorney General Bonta reminds Californians of their right to direct the deletion of their genetic data under the Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).”