FTC Warns: 23andMe Sale Must Honor Privacy Promises

FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson warned the Department of Justice that any purchaser of 23andMe must uphold its existing privacy policy protecting users' genetic and other data. The FTC highlights 23andMe's promises: user control over data, the ability to delete data, and assurances against sharing data with insurers, employers, or law enforcement without legal warrants. Ferguson emphasizes that these promises, explicitly stated in 23andMe's privacy policy, must be honored even in bankruptcy, given the sensitive and immutable nature of genetic data. The FTC stresses the importance of consumer trust in data protection.