3The leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said they are investigating how 23andMe’s bankruptcy might affect customers’ data.
Representatives Brett Guthrie, Gus Bilirakis, and Gary Palmer (all Republicans) sent a letter Thursday to the genetic testing company’s interim CEO Joe Selsavage asking a number of questions about how 23andMe will handle customer data if the company is sold.
The letter also says that some customers have reported problems deleting their data from the 23andMe website, and it notes that direct-to-consumer companies like 23andMe are generally not covered by the protections of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
“Given the lack of HIPAA protections, the patchwork of state laws covering genetic privacy, and the uncertainty surrounding what happens to customer information should a sale of a company or customer data and information transpire, we are concerned that this trove of sensitive information is at risk of being comprised,” the representatives write.
23andMe, which settled a data breach lawsuit for $30 million last year, filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, with co-founder and CEO Anne Wojciki saying she was resigning to become a private bidder for the company.