U.S. Department of Justice bankruptcy regulators have been urged by Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson to ensure that any buyer of the embattled DNA testing services company 23andMe should comply with the firm's existing data privacy policies, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.
Any 23andMe purchaser should not only provide users control over their information and its usage but also refrain from providing such data to third parties in the absence of a subpoena, court order, or search warrant, noted Ferguson in a letter to the Justice Department's United States Trustee Program. Ferguson also emphasized that 23andMe had explicitly stated its current data policies to extend to new organizations that may own it. "Many Americans are concerned about the impact of a potential sale of their personal data, and I understand those concerns. Consumers should be able to trust that companies will keep their promises, including when it comes to handling of sensitive information," said Ferguson.
