23andMe Has Found a Buyer for Our Genetic Data, and I’m Optimistic
The last time we talked about 23andMe being sold in bankruptcy, we suggested you remove your genetic data from the site because we didn’t know who would ultimately own it. Now a buyer has been announced, and they promise to “prioritize the privacy, security, and ethical use” of customer data and continue to offer the company’s services uninterrupted. This is all — probably — good news. Either way, I’m cautiously optimistic.
Regeneron to Become New Owner of 23andMe
23andMe’s new buyer, which paid $256 million for the company’s assets, is Regeneron . Regeneron is a biotech company perhaps best known for developing an antibody-based COVID treatment early in the pandemic. (Donald Trump was given a dose when he first became ill with the virus.) That treatment never made it to market, but the company sells other antibody- and protein-based treatments for diseases like Ebola, genetic disorders, and cancer.
Regeneron’s website states that they are “shaping the next frontier of medicine through insights from the Regeneron® Genetics Center and pioneering genetic medicine platforms, enabling us to identify innovative targets and complementary approaches to potentially treat or cure diseases.”
This explains why they are interested in 23andMe, as it provides a treasure trove of genetic data. Many 23andMe users have also signed up to have more of their personal health information shared for research purposes (this was a separate thing you would have to agree to share).
Regeneron says it plans to “continue all consumer genomic services uninterrupted” rather than shut down the company. Lemonaid health , also owned by 23andMe, is not included in the sale.
What this means for your data and privacy
It’s important to note that Regeneron says it will respect the company’s privacy policy (“and applicable laws”), and 23andMe’s press release also says Regeneron will not make any changes to its privacy policy.
The sale, which still needs to be approved by the bankruptcy court, will also include a court-appointed “consumer privacy ombudsman,” whose job it is to make sure that everyone’s data is handled properly. Regeneron says it is willing to work with this ombudsman and will detail all of its privacy-related plans.
While we don’t yet know what the future holds, all of this makes me cautiously optimistic. Yes, the company owns your data and intends to profit from it; but that was also true of 23andMe in its heyday. The privacy policies and consents you agreed to when you provided your data will still apply.
The 23andMe community appears to be cautiously optimistic. In the r/23andme Reddit thread about the sale, one Reddit user who describes himself as an academic biomedical researcher says, “I’d rather [Regeneron] have their data than an insurer or just a random [venture capitalist].” Another Reddit user says, “So there’s really no [best] case scenario here, just a wait and see and a bad one. And this is more of a wait and see than a bad one.” And another says, “I know people are looking askance at Big Pharma (rightfully so in most cases), but this is a much better outcome than a lot of other situations.”