New York Attorney General Letitia James and a bipartisan coalition of 42 other attorneys general today secured $18 million from genetic testing company 23andMe for failing to protect customers’ private genetic data. In October 2023, 23andMe announced that it had discovered a data breach affecting 6.9 million consumers, including 305,245 in New York. 23andMe will also pay more than $705,000 to New York.

“Companies have a duty to protect their customers’ personal information from hackers, but 23andMe put millions of its customers at risk with its flimsy security measures. New Yorkers trusted 23andMe with their sensitive and personal genetic data, only to find that data stolen and put up for sale on the dark corners of the internet. As a result of our coalition’s action, 23andMe will pay for violating the law and strict rules will be put in place to protect their customers.” – AG James