Re:23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users
by happytiger on Tuesday December 05, 2023 @02:18PM
(#38535625)
That is one SOLID example of what could go wrong.
It’s similar to the Office of Personnel Management data breach when every Federal
Employee was just 0wn3d. It included 21.5 million background investigations into people and the personnel files of every federal employee and most contractors.
Just slightly sensitive stuff. Nobody knows how many people died as a result of the hack, but I’m sure it was non-trivial because a LOT of people got surprised doxed.
This information is still rattling around out there and will have implications for generations.
Imagine if the same could be done for demographics based on genetics — the risk factors for medical conditions, the ethnic ties you’re talking about, etc.
It’s similar to the Office of Personnel Management data breach when every Federal Employee was just 0wn3d. It included 21.5 million background investigations into people and the personnel files of every federal employee and most contractors.
Just slightly sensitive stuff. Nobody knows how many people died as a result of the hack, but I’m sure it was non-trivial because a LOT of people got surprised doxed.
This information is still rattling around out there and will have implications for generations.
Imagine if the same could be done for demographics based on genetics — the risk factors for medical conditions, the ethnic ties you’re talking about, etc.
It’s weighty stuff.