ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUBMITS TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF GENETIC PRIVACY LEGISLATION
ATTORNEY GENERAL TONG SUBMITS TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF GENETIC PRIVACY LEGISLATION
Publish Date: 2026-02-21 20:55:00
Source Domain: www.doingitlocal.com
(Hartford, CT) – Attorney General William Tong today submitted testimony in support of An Act Concerning Direct to Consumer Genetic Testing, legislation proposed by his office to give Connecticut residents exclusive control over their DNA and genetic data.
The proposed legislation draws lessons from Attorney General Tong’s investigation into the theft of genetic information from 23andMe and the company’s subsequent bankruptcy. The company had gathered the DNA of over 15 million people before a threat actor stole records from over six million 23andMe customers. Bad actors used that genetic data to target people of Jewish and Chinese descent, to threaten disclosure of genetic ancestry information of celebrities and world leaders, to create applications to block visitors to websites based on race and ethnic origin, and other harmful misuses. After filing for bankruptcy, 23andMe then sought to sell the DNA of their users to the highest bidder. Attorney General Tong and a bipartisan multistate coalition of attorneys general are opposing the company’s bankruptcy plan and have encouraged customers to delete their genetic data, request destruction of their test sample, and revoke permission for their genetic data to be used for research.
“DNA that has been stolen, misappropriated, or exposed in a data breach is not like any other type of personal information. It is not just information associated with you to create an identity like a Social Security number – it is you. You cannot change your DNA. DNA is immutable. It is inherently identifiable. DNA reveals secrets about you that even you do not know, and as technology advances the potential for misuse of genetic information will only proliferate. We ask today that you act to impose much-needed safeguards on genetic data that are currently lacking under Connecticut law,” Attorney General Tong states in his testimony.
The proposed…
