Genetic Privacy Crisis

When DNA Dreams Turn into a Data Privacy Disaster

The first personal genomics unicorn, 23andMe, which filed for bankruptcy, is now a cautionary tale and a wake-up call for us all.

Image was designed by the author using photo of Google DeepMind from Pexels. Link for non-members

Life Lessons from the Recent 23andMe Collapse

I remember the excitement. A tiny plastic tube, a bit of spit, some piece of hair from my body, and a few weeks later, results that promised to tell me who I am historically, where I come from, and what health risks I might carry in my DNA.

I was genuinely excited to discover that my DNA originates from seven distinct regions around the world. My family couldn’t believe it. When I shared this exciting news with my Aussie friend, he laughed and said, “You’re a bloody mongrel, mate.”

I was proud of my diverse ancestry. Later, when my friend did his own test inspired by my DNA test and turned out to have even more ancestry regions than I did, I smiled and told him, “You too, mate.”

However, more importantly, learning about my carb intolerance was profound and helped me redesign my diet, inspiring me to focus on nutritional biochemistry, which helped me reverse my metabolic conditions like abdominal obesity and…