State to receive $666K in 23andMe settlement over 2023 data breach
North Carolina will receive over $666,000 from an $18 million multistate settlement regarding 23andMe's 2023 data breach.Summary
North Carolina is set to receive more than $666,000 as part of an $18 million multistate settlement following a 2023 data breach at 23andMe. The breach, which affected approximately 6.9 million people globally, occurred after hackers used stolen usernames and passwords to access accounts. Attorney General Jeff Jackson criticized the company for failing to protect highly sensitive genetic information and for initially blaming customers for the security failure.
Investigations revealed that 23andMe took several months to detect the breach and lacked sufficient security measures to prevent it. Following the incident, the company filed for bankruptcy and attempted to sell customer genetic data. This led to a lawsuit joined by several states to prevent the sale of such information without explicit customer consent.
The settlement not only provides financial compensation to the state but also mandates stricter data security requirements. Furthermore, it ensures that customers retain the right to delete their genetic information from the company's records.
(Source：Witn)