As 23andMe Struggles, Concerns Surface About Its Genetic Data

The genetic testing company 23andMe, once valued at $6 billion, is facing an uncertain future after a drop in share prices, a recent board resignation and a data breach last year that affected nearly seven million customers.The turmoil has raised questions about what might happen to the genetic data of the company’s roughly 15 million customers.Last month, the seven independent directors of the board sent an open letter to Anne Wojcicki, the chief executive and co-founder of 23andMe, notifying her of their resignation while citing frustration with the company’s direction.“After months of work, we have yet to receive from you a fully financed, fully diligenced, actionable proposal that is in the best interests of the nonaffiliated shareholders,” the letter said.Soon after, Ms.Wojcicki, who owns 49 percent of the voting stock, said in a federal filing that she was determined to take the company private.The company has said that it is committed to customer privacy, but people who have submitted tests to discover ancestry lines or for health care research can potentially leave their information vulnerable to threat actors.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe....