Leaders of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee say they are investigating how the bankruptcy of genetic testing company 23andMe might affect customer data. Three members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the genetic testing company's interim CEO Joe Selsavage on Thursday asking a series of questions about what 23andMe would do with customer data if the company was sold.
The letter also notes that some customers have reported problems deleting their data from the 23andMe website, and notes that direct-to-consumer companies like 23andMe are generally not protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
"Given the lack of protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the patchwork of state laws covering genetic privacy, and the uncertainty about what would happen to customer information if the company were sold or if customer data and information were transferred, we are concerned that this large amount of sensitive information is at risk of being compromised," the representatives wrote.
Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and CEO of 23andMe, which settled a data breach lawsuit last year for $30 million and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March, said she would resign in order to become a private bidder for the company.
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23andMe is under congressional investigation over customer data issues and has filed for bankruptcy