Leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said they are investigating how 23AndMe bankruptcy affects customer data.
Representatives Brett Guthrie, Guth Bilirakis and Gary Palmer (all Republicans) wrote to interim CEO of genetic testing company Joe Cervage on Thursday asking many questions about how 23AndME would process customer data if the company was sold.
The letter also states that some customers have reported issues deleting data from the 23andMe website, and notes that consumer companies like 23andMe are generally not subject to health insurance portability and accountability law (HIPAA) protections.
“We are concerned about the risk that this sensitive to tofove is being constituted given the lack of HIPAA protection, the patchwork of state laws covering genetic privacy, and the uncertainty surrounding the sale of business or customer data and what happens to customer information if information occurs,” the representative wrote.
23Andme, who resolved a $30 million data violation lawsuit last year, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March, with co-founder and CEO Anne Wojciki saying she has resigned to become the company's private bidder.