https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/why-the-23andme-data-breach-is-so-scary/

The 23andMe breach that took place in October has been confirmed as much worse than originally reported, affecting 6.9 million people, as opposed to the 14,000 users first thought.

Information stolen in the breach included users’ full names, birth years, relationship labels, and locations. Approximately 1.4 million users also had Family Tree profile information on the service compromised. Hackers could also access genetic information in the breach, including details about common DNA percentages shared with relatives, and specifics such as chromosome matching, according to a spokesperson.

Reports indicate that this data has already gone up for sale on the black market, with several ethnic groups already being targeted, and bad actors selling a single person’s information for $1 to $10 in a data set. Meanwhile, the ancestry tracking website appears to be covering its tracks, having quickly sent out terms of service updates to users, which detailed that any legal complaints about this matter must be resolved outside of court. This would bar users from attempting a class action lawsuit as a primary action unless they opt out of a private resolution.

If users want to file a class action lawsuit, they must collectively opt out of a private dispute and can do so by emailing [email protected] within 30 days of the update, which is December 30. This information is detailed at the end of the fifth section of the 23andMe terms of service update, Gizmodo noted.

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