In wake of 23andMe DNA data breach, privacy concerns reemerge

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Millions of people use genetic testing companies like 23andMe to learn more about their ancestry and health. But a new data breach is highlighting the risks of having your ancestry information stored online — and what it might be used for in the event of hacking. Here’s what to know.

In October, 23andMe announced that approximately 14,000 23andMe users’ accounts were breached; according to the company, the stolen data — which some hackers tried to sell via online forums — “generally included ancestry information, and, for a subset of those accounts, health-related information based upon the user’s genetics.”

It’s since been revealed that the hackers used those compromised accounts to also access another 6.9 million profiles connected to the users’ DNA relatives and those on their family tree.

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While any breach of personal information such as name, address, email and bank account is worrisome, Katie Hasson, associate director of the Center for Genetics and Society, says it’s not clear what the immediate impact is of having one’s DNA data breached.

“There are already vast amounts of personal data that are being sucked up all around the internet from purchases and other things being collected and sold for marketing and targeting in various ways. Thinking about the potential that genetic data will start to get folded into all of that with our profiles is concerning,” she tells Yahoo Life.

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