Latest news with #MyHealthMyDataAct
Axios
09-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
You can delete your DNA data from 23andMe
People who submitted a DNA sample to 23andMe for genetic testing can get that data deleted, something Washington state officials are highlighting after the company filed for bankruptcy last month. Why it matters: While the company said it won't change how it protects people's data, it's seeking a buyer — and a new owner could run things differently, making it important for people to know their rights, the Washington state attorney general's office said in a news release. State of play: A 2023 Washington state law, the My Health My Data Act, requires companies like 23andMe to disclose how they use Washingtonians' health data, while ensuring residents have the right to get their data deleted. Zoom in: 23andMe customers can delete their data by logging into their account, going to "settings," and scrolling down to the section labeled, "23andMe Data." If you click "view," you can download your data for your own records if you want. Then, scroll down to the "Delete Data" section, and click "Permanently Delete Data." You'll receive an email from 23andMe asking you to confirm your deletion request. The fine print: You can also choose to have your saliva sample destroyed, by visiting your account settings page and going to "Preferences." To revoke consent for your genetic data to be used for research, go to your account settings and find "Research and Product Consents." What they're saying: If 23andMe "for any reason" declines a Washington resident's data deletion request, that person can file a complaint with the state attorney general, the company's website says.
WIRED
24-03-2025
- Business
- WIRED
How to Delete Your Data From 23andMe
Genetic testing company 23andMe, once a Silicon Valley darling valued at $6 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection late Sunday as it prepares for a sale of the business. CEO Anne Wojcicki, who cofounded the company in 2006, has also stepped down after months of failed attempts to take the firm private. As uncertainty about the company's future reaches its peak, all eyes are on the trove of deeply personal—and potentially valuable—genetic data that 23andMe holds. Privacy advocates have long warned that the risk of entrusting genetic data to any institution is twofold—the organization could fail to protect it, but it could also hand over customer data to a new entity that they may not trust and didn't choose. California Attorney General Rob Bonta reminded consumers in an alert on Friday that Californians have a legal right to ask that an organization delete their data. 23andMe customers in other states and countries largely do not have the same protections, though there is also a right to deletion for health data in Washington State's My Health My Data Act and the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation. Regardless of residency, all 23andMe customers should consider downloading anything they want to keep from the service and should then attempt to delete their information. 'This situation really brings home the point that there is still no national health privacy law in the US protecting your rights unless you live in California or Washington,' says Andrea Downing, an independent security researcher and cofounder of the patient-led digital rights nonprofit The Light Collective. 'Meanwhile, we continue to evolve our understanding of how genetic information has value, but also has unique vulnerability.' John Verdi, senior vice president of policy at the Future of Privacy Forum, says 23andMe's new owner could revise the company's privacy policies for new customers and new data collection, but the data it has already collected from current customers is subject to existing terms. 'The company has legal obligations regarding information collected under the current policies,' he says. Still, researchers emphasize that in practice, such a large transition will create real data exposure that is outside of 23andMe customers' control. 'In my opinion, these privacy policies—especially in the context of acquisitions in the venture capital and private equity space—aren't worth the paper they're printed on,' says longtime security researcher and data privacy advocate Kenn White. 'For regular people out there who use these services, you're pretty much on your own. My advice is to request your data get deleted as soon as possible"
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Data privacy at center of lawsuit against Amazon
This story was originally published on A complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle may put Amazon on the ropes when it comes to personal health data privacy. The Washington State Standard reports that court documents state Amazon's advertising network may be gathering consumer data without consent and then using the information for targeted ads. The suit claims the data, including biometric and location information, could be used to show that a person may have sought out health services or supplies—a more significant concern after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The law was intended to protect women traveling to the state for reproductive care if their home state has laws restricting such doctor visits. Related MyNorthwest: Public health and political power: Democratic bill says 'best science' must be followed Personal health data protections The complaint states that Amazon may be breaking a groundbreaking state law passed in 2023. The law protects personal health data from being collected without users' knowledge. The change was meant to cover data not protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The law, called the My Health My Data Act, took effect last spring. It is one of the first of its kind in the U.S. Cassaundra Maxwell from Lake Stevens is the lead plaintiff. She claims to have used the OfferUp marketplace and the Weather Channel app, unaware that Amazon was collecting her personal data. The legal action may turn into a class-action lawsuit for people across the U.S. The lawsuit also alleges violations of the state's Consumer Protection Act and several federal laws, including the Federal Wiretap Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Maxwell's lawyers from Keller Rohrback in Seattle did not respond to requests for comment. An Amazon spokesperson denied the allegations to The Standard. He said customer privacy is a top priority and that their agreements with publishers prohibit the sharing of consumer health data. Follow Bill Kaczaraba on X. Send news tips here.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawsuit against Amazon provides first test of WA's health data privacy law
() Amazon faces a potential class-action lawsuit on accusations the company violated a groundbreaking Washington law meant to protect the privacy of consumer health data. It's the first case of its kind. The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, alleges Amazon's advertising network, embedded in various phone applications, harvested consumer data without consent. This data, including location information, is then used for targeted advertising, according to the lawsuit. Passed along party lines with Democratic support in 2023, Washington's My Health My Data Act prohibits this activity. The landmark law aims to safeguard personal health data from being collected without the users' knowledge. The impetus for the law came from the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. The idea was to protect people coming to Washington from states where they could be prosecuted for seeking reproductive health care. Experts also warned the data collected from period-tracking apps could be used to penalize those seeking an abortion. But the law is much broader in scope, protecting data the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPPA, doesn't cover. Since its passage, other states have considered matching Washington's standard. 'I think most people would want their health data to be private,' said Sen. Vandana Slatter, D-Bellevue, who sponsored the legislation while serving in the state House. She described the law as 'a good step toward protecting Washingtonians, and anyone who would come to visit Washington.' The legislation, requested by then-Attorney General Bob Ferguson, went into effect last spring. The attorney general's office can enforce violations through the state Consumer Protection Act, or consumers can file suit. Some critics worried this would lead to frivolous litigation, but the lawsuit filed last week is the first alleging violations of the law. This lawsuit comes not long after another in California alleged the advertising software gave Amazon 'backdoor access' to data. And yet another, filed in federal court this month in Seattle, with over a dozen plaintiffs from across the country who alleged similar surreptitious data gathering. 'Amazon collected Plaintiff's consumer health data, including biometric data and precise location information that could reasonably indicate a consumer's attempt to acquire or receive health services or supplies,' reads the complaint in the new case, filed last week. A company spokesperson said 'customer privacy is a top priority for Amazon' and denied the lawsuit's allegations. 'Our agreements with publishers prohibit them from sending us any information that could be considered Consumer Health Data under WA's My Health My Data Act, and we have long prohibited publishers from sending us precise location and biometric data,' the spokesperson said. 'If they do accidentally send us this information, we immediately discard and do not use it.' The lead plaintiff in this case, Cassaundra Maxwell, is from Lake Stevens. Maxwell used the digital marketplace OfferUp and the Weather Channel's app without knowing Amazon collected her personal data while she used them, according to the complaint. The complaint says thousands of developers have used Amazon's ad tracking software development kits, or SDKs. The lawsuit aims to create a class of plaintiffs made up of users like Maxwell across the United States. These consumers may consent to giving their data to the app they're using, such as for finding nearby weather updates. But they don't realize Amazon will then have access to that information as well and can monetize it, the lawsuit alleges. On top of My Health My Data, the lawsuit also alleges Amazon violated the state's Consumer Protection Act and several federal laws, including the Federal Wiretap Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Maxwell's lawyers from Keller Rohrback in Seattle did not respond to requests for comment.
