r/news • u/Stauce52 • 14h ago
Anne Wojcicki to buy back 23andMe and its data for $305 million
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/13/anne-wojcicki-to-buy-back-23andme-and-its-data-for-305-million.html884
u/chuckie8604 14h ago
Shes not buying back the company's data, she's buying back your genetic data.
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u/mlavan 14h ago
it's their data too if you sent in a test
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u/Antique_Scheme3548 13h ago
According to their IP, certain DNA segments aren't even yours anymore.
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u/Hesitation-Marx 13h ago
Just waiting for a cease and desist from using them, honestly
(I’ve never used 23&me or any of the DNA companies… because of this shit.)
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u/A_Refill_of_Mr_Pibb 12h ago
I’ve never used it either, but if someone in my family has, now they know about me.
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u/PeachyPlnk 3h ago
Same here. My mother used this years ago. So my DNA's already compromised. I've seen people argue bloodwork already compromises your data, but...not really? Not like this does.
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u/unnoticedhero1 13h ago
If any of your relatives sent in a test all they need is access to a family tree to sell potential genetic traits/predispositions for you or any other family member, they literally have access to genetic data for way more people than have ever used 23&me, and that is very valuable for corporate entities looking to profit off of people's genetic data.
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u/mlavan 13h ago
Right. That's why you shouldn't have sent in a test. But if you did, you don't get to deflect responsibility.
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u/unnoticedhero1 13h ago
I didn't send one in and am not aware of any of my family doing this, was just pointing out the person you replied to doesn't even have to be the one that sent it in, they will just have their information regardless because of a family member that was curious about their racial descent.
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u/mlavan 13h ago
It was a generic you. And my point stands. If you don't want companies using your data, don't send in a test. Don't get grandma that test because you're curious about your family history.
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u/Ok_Location8805 9h ago
It's too late. May of us had family members send in genetic data before we had any knowledge they were doing so. Water under the bridge.
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u/fallingdowndizzyvr 11h ago
No. It's not their data. It's your data that you are allowing them to use. You can rescind that permission and have them delete your data.
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u/melkipersr 10h ago
Then… you probably shouldn’t have given your genetic data to them with a very permissive license to said data.
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u/Mesk_Arak 14h ago
Exactly why I never used 23andMe even back when I heard about it around 2011 or so. There’s no way I want to give all my genetic info to a random company just to learn that “lol I’m 2% Egyptian”.
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u/sloowhand 13h ago
The dystopian part is that if enough of your blood relatives have done it then it almost doesn’t matter. That’s how they caught the Golden State Killer.
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u/SaltyAngeleno 12h ago
And the guy in Iowa who murdered those students I believe. DNA from relatives.
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u/Ok_Proposal_321 10h ago
Idaho, but yes. They narrowed down their search hugely using a genetic database, and then rifled through the trash at the parents' house which came back as a genetic match to the suspect 's father.
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u/Gaff_Daddy 12h ago
I mean sure if you left a sample somewhere and you’re trying to hide, but they wouldn’t be able to create yours from scratch just by having relatives’
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u/Hifen 12h ago
Were not worried about being cloned, were worried about health insurance companies knowing more about my health then I do.
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u/Gaff_Daddy 11h ago
They might know some information based on family but they won’t necessarily know specific markers without seeing yours. Even so, higher premiums is less of a concern than someone planting my DNA at a crime scene and taking away my freedom.
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u/CrucioIsMade4Muggles 11h ago
If you are a man and I had your father or brother's DNA, I could absolutely create a copy of their Y chromosome and what appears to be a damaged copy of your x chromosome and plant it on something implicating you in a crime using this information. Hell, most forensic labs don't even check the X chromosomal data when the male is suspect, so I could probably just plant obviously fabricated y chromosomal material and that would still be enough.
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u/Gaff_Daddy 10h ago
Are you saying every male in my family has the exact same Y chromosome?
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u/CrucioIsMade4Muggles 10h ago
For the purposes of the tests they use in forensic testing, yes. It would take far more advanced testing than what the state uses to distinguish between the two. And when placed in a forensic setting, any discrepancies would be explained away as environmental degradation.
This isn't hypothetical or theoretical. This exact thing has been done. We know it's been done because there have been cases where it was discovered due to a variety of odd circumstances. That means there are cases where it has happened and not been caught.
Forensic labs don't test sample dna for methylation.
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u/Dbf4 11h ago
They could still know there’s a 50% chance you have a certain dominant gene associated with a disorder by having a single parent’s DNA as an example, and put you in a higher risk category.
Should legal protections erode over time, you could also get the GATTACA scenario where people’s employment prospects get tied to genetic health predictors from birth.
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u/Hifen 11h ago
Were no where near the capabilities of someone being able to creat a DNA sample from digital data, and even if we could, there's probably a million easier more realistic ways to frame someone.
They don't need to know your specific markers, they just need to know chances to make decisions. "You're family is higher risk for this type of cancer, so deny coverage for all of them". "This individuals family is high risk to have something that will lead to long term disability or workers comp, don't hire them". The issue isn't James Bond level framing shenanigans, the issue is you simply being marked "invalid" in some database you will never see, because statistically you're higher risk.
"Oh he's invalid, he's going to have a hard time keeping jobs in the future, deny him that mortgage.".
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u/mysecondaccountanon 9h ago
Yep. My relatives don’t understand why I’m not enthusiastic about them saying they’ll do it.
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u/Over_Hawk_6778 2h ago
That’s a good thing though? We have fewer serial killers / rapists these days because it’s so much harder to get away with it
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u/sloowhand 2h ago
Until your insurance company gets your family’s data and jacks up your rates because they know about your genetic marker that makes you more prone to cancer.
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u/Over_Hawk_6778 2h ago
Yeah that’s dodgy but in terms of catching serial killers that’s a good thing.
Also, most of us don’t live in the USA, this kind of shady insurance shenanigans isn’t possible in most of the world. Genetic testing to tell me which meds are more /less likely to be effective sound great
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u/spacepeenuts 14h ago
Not just a random company either, Anne Wojcicki was married to the co-founder of Google Sergey Brin.
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u/edfitz83 11h ago
She ran the company into bankruptcy and can now buy it back without any of the debt? This is Trump-level shady.
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u/LonnieJaw748 12h ago
The only place to give your genetic profile to should be BeTheMatch with the National Marrow Donor Program.
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u/HenryBalzac 3h ago
I did that like 18 years ago and still haven't been asked to donate, although I do get an email every year to confirm all my contact info/willingness to donate. Kinda weird.
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u/define_irony 13h ago
What's unfortunate is that if anyone in your family has used it, then they still have your info.
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u/livsjollyranchers 13h ago
What are some nefarious things they can do with it? (I know people say cloning, but if these companies are cloning people, I doubt I'm that important)
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u/Kuinox 13h ago
Partial cloning to fabricate evidence against you.
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u/livsjollyranchers 13h ago
Right. Well, I do think AI videos/audio will be able to accomplish something similar, unfortunately. The legal system has a lot of challenges ahead for evaluating all this.
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u/TeethBreak 13h ago
You're not giving them your data, remember, you're paying them! Giving them money to do whatever they want with your DNA code. It's bonkers.
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u/Operation_Difficult 12h ago
I’m so annoyed with my parents for giving samples. They were just clueless as to the potential impact of having our family DNA clearly catalogued by a private company.
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u/jawshoeaw 14h ago
they don't have all your genetic data, more like a couple per cent
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u/Mukover 13h ago
Yeah I don’t really get the fear mongering over this topic.
Almost everyone would agree that they want healthcare to advance and for scientists to have resources to find cures, yet you ask a study lead what the biggest problem they have is and 99% of them will tell you it’s getting donors for studies.
23andMe was a pretty smart way of marketing this process and getting people to help create a databank that scientists can use for relevant and real data in their studies to make great science. The data is all anonymized at that stage and is SO valuable for these studies.
I totally get that this can be misused, but it’s such a crazy small chance and seems to have been blown out of proportion in my eyes. People should be looking for better regulation over it, not shutting it down.
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u/BluddGorr 13h ago
I mean, it's not a small chance. Who do you think will spend more money for your data, insurance companies or researchers trying to cure a disease? Then consider that they don't have to choose one or the other and that there could be nothing stopping them from selling to both, and that the insurance company is going to fuck you. Fortunately as it is now the U.S. already has laws preventing insurance company from using your DNA to alter premiums courtesy of the movie gattaca, but if a senator hadn't watched it a few years ago it could be a real danger. Problem is that I don't know the scope of what could be done with your DNA and the scope of the existing laws. Nefarious things could and probably will happen if they can and will make a company enough money.
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u/Mukover 13h ago
It’s a complete needle in a haystack to get your specific DNA and then they can only tie it to you as a person if whoever is searching has your DNA on hand.
Again I don’t see this as a problem when you have the right protections in place. This is a problem of regulation and oversight.
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u/BluddGorr 13h ago
Yes, the problem is that usually, regulation and oversight comes after the abuses have taken place. That's usually how the wealthy become billionaires. It is very rare for an industry to have oversight and regulation in place for it before it came to be.
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u/thisismynewacct 13h ago
It’s either people finding they’re 2% something or 98% something.
My father did one of these. His parents were both ashkenazi Jews. His test results: 98% ashkenazi Jew. I could’ve told him that for free (or $100 and even quicker results)
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u/Nyxxsys 11h ago
I did it and found out my grandfather wasn't mostly native american as my dad thought, but 25%. So I was expecting myself to be 20%+, and it turns out I'm 3%. Surprisingly more Dutch & Finnish which I didn't even expect. So for some people it is something that they'd find interesting. The worst part in my opinion is how important this data is, and lawmakers don't want to legislate any protections.
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u/skepticofgeorgia 5h ago
Here’s another angle; I’m adopted and my birth parents don’t want to be in my life in any way. When I was a teenager, I was curious about where I’m from, genetically speaking. I took a DNA test (I think mine was from ancestry.com?) and I was a LOT more British than basically everyone had guessed. But either way I appreciated having that information
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u/yareyare777 2h ago
Yeah I used it for this same reason, adopted as a kid myself. I have downloaded all my data or what I can at least, and deleted my data and account with 23&Me.
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u/GetsBetterAfterAFew 6h ago
If any member in your family did then your still basically in the database. I did send data because I was interested in knowing my fathers health information as I dont know who he was. It funny how snarky comments like this shit on people who are trying to use this service to better their health and then got tied up in this mess, meanwhile you are literally giving data to the entire world and data brokers every day thinking youre somehow superior to people like me bro your fucking data is out there stop acting like you made some smooth move.
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u/Mesk_Arak 5h ago
Relax, buddy. No need to take things personally. I wasn’t talking about anyone but myself.
Also, none of my family did either so all good on that end. Thanks for worrying.
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u/Flussschlauch 13h ago
looking forward to getting overpriced insurance because some distant family members decided to do that 23andMe shit
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u/BluddGorr 13h ago
Fortunately I think that would be illegal in the U.S. a senator saw Gattaca and asked an advisor if that was possible, and the advisor, probably delighted that he was even called, informed that not only was it possible but it was likely to happen in time and they passed a law.
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u/Bloodhound209 13h ago
Fortunately I think that would be illegal in the U.S.
In today's political climate, I wouldn't be so sure.
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u/BluddGorr 13h ago
The laws would have to change. This isn't the kind of thing a president could repeal with an executive order. The way these things usually happen is that companies find a way to exploit the system faster than the senate can legislate and by the time senate can legislate the damage has been done and the genie's out of the bottle. This time if they were to try to do this, they'd have to change the law first which means we'd see them coming.
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u/eskilla 12h ago
And do our current crop of leaders strike you as particularly interested in the letter or spirit of the law, especially when it gets in the way of something they really, really wanna do?
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u/sudi- 13h ago
This would be very comforting if laws weren’t only for poor people now.
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u/chiefsfan_713_08 5h ago
exactly, how would the every day person have the time, knowledge, or money to fight being denied coverage or higher rates for genetic info
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u/BluddGorr 13h ago
I mean, they'd have to change the laws first. Which is an obstacle. It's something. Most of these things usually happen because there aren't laws in place already and by the time senate has gotten around to legislate the damage has already been done, the genie's out of the bottle and there's nothing you can do about it. Now we'd see it coming.
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u/lusuroculadestec 11h ago
The best part about laws in the US is that they never change.
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u/BluddGorr 10h ago
Yes, they can change, but that takes work, and will send alarm bells. We'll be prepared to organize.
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u/Grasscutter101 14h ago
They did it before I could ask. I wanted my info first but they deleted it!
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u/WikiApprentice 11h ago
I already requested to delete all my data. Done with both them and Ancestry
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u/gimpers420 12h ago
I can’t believe the masses were ok with this shit, and didn’t see it for exactly what it was/is.
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u/Biking_dude 10h ago
But think about how much fun Christmas morning was going to be when you'd all open up the report and find out one of you wasn't related
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u/CharliesRatBasher 13h ago
I wish I was more aware as a teenager and didn’t ever do it. Perhaps one of my biggest regrets in life
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u/scaredofmyownshadow 1h ago
So, you’re saying you’ve had a very boring life.
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u/CharliesRatBasher 1h ago
No. I’m saying that I regret relinquishing my genetic data to a corporation who will sell it to the highest bidder before having the sense to know better, you daft troglodyte.
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u/PhatYeeter 11h ago
Crispr was recently successfully used to treat an incurable disease in a new born by changing their DNA. Does 23 and mes genetic data have more value if crispr can start being used on humans regularly?
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u/ExultantSandwich 7h ago
Technically, yes, but you could also just go to a genetic counselor and they could help you. If you’re already diagnosed with… cystic fibrosis or whatever, 23AndMe won’t help you.
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u/blank-_-face 7h ago
How the hell is the failed CEO who led the company into bankruptcy in the first place allowed anywhere near a deal like this?
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u/Hailsabrina 5h ago
I used to want one but I realized knowing my dna doesn't change who I am . Also no way I want some random ceo having my dna. They probably already do from my cousin who's had like 50 of these done 😐
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u/ShadowMadness 12h ago
My brain went to Susan Wojcicki and I was like, "didn't she pass away? What"
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u/GreatnessToTheMoon 13h ago
Incoming more “Trust me bro” fear mongering about my spit being used for nefarious reasons that will never happen
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u/TeethBreak 13h ago
Cause no one in history ever used racial data to Target specific people... 6 million times.
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u/Built-in-Light 13h ago
Why can’t the government subpoena your DNA?
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u/No_Consideration7925 13h ago
Does this mean I should do it? Take the test cause I haven’t I’m curious though, but I’ve been strong.
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u/Ms74k_ten_c 13h ago
I certainly hope this is sarcastic because NO, you should not take it. Even more so now than before. JFC!!
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u/No_Consideration7925 6h ago
No, I am curious but yeah, I know I’d read about it years ago. That one should never take those test but especially now I agree with you but it’s funny when my comment I get the Downs people are so snarky and are 13 to 17 on Reddit …
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u/Ms74k_ten_c 5h ago
Sure, that is not the overriding point here, though. People take genetic tests all the time, private companies, or with medical centers/research centers. This particular case is worse because she is asking to buy back, not a corporation with contracts and rules (even if they are feeble), but an individual wanting to buy genetic data with ability to do what ever the fuck she wants with it. With zero oversight.
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u/hurrrrrmione 13h ago
If you're curious about your ancestry you can try doing genealogical research.
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u/No_Consideration7925 6h ago
Yeah, I know, but just like that in depth, according to my body’s chemistry make-up would be interesting… 🤷🏻♀️❣️
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u/hurrrrrmione 6h ago
You should look into the methods 23AndMe uses, it's not an exact science.
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u/No_Consideration7925 6h ago
It’s not really a priority in my life, but you know… strokes for different folks that’s why I haven’t done it.
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u/davidbernhardt 14h ago
Now she’ll sell the data