So, it finally happened. 23andMe — once hailed as the pioneer of consumer DNA testing — has officially sold out. Literally. The bankrupt genomics company just handed over its entire genetic goldmine to pharmaceutical giant Regeneron for a cool $256 million. That treasure chest includes roughly 15 million genetic profiles voluntarily submitted by curious consumers looking to “discover their roots” or “optimize their health.”
And guess what? It’s gone. Out of your hands. Permanently.
While Regeneron claims they’ll honor privacy commitments and “deidentify” the data, let’s not pretend this is just about noble medical progress. This is a for-profit pharmaceutical company — one that makes and sells drugs. The implications aren’t just unsettling. They’re seismic.
Sure, you checked a box. Maybe even two. But that “consent” didn’t foresee bankruptcy, data liquidation, or a scenario where your biological fingerprint becomes a business asset. People didn’t sign up to be a biobank commodity. They signed up for ancestry reports.
And yet, here we are. A pharmaceutical company now owns more genetic data than most governments.
Data privacy experts have warned us for years: biometric data isn’t like a password — you can’t change it. Once it’s out, it’s out. Permanently. And as predictive health, AI medicine, and bio-surveillance tools evolve, the power of this kind of data will only grow.
Imagine a future where your DNA influences:
Sound paranoid? Maybe. But 10 years ago, giving your saliva to a company sounded futuristic too. Now it’s a business model.
Don’t be shocked. Be informed. You are the product if the product is free — and sometimes even when it’s $99 and comes in a sleek little box.
If you’re lucky, the worst thing that happens is you become a case study. If you’re not, your DNA becomes a perpetual license to profit — for someone else.