William Tong, the Connecticut attorney general, submitted testimony on Feb. 17 urging state lawmakers to pass legislation giving residents exclusive control over their DNA, citing the example of the large data breach at 23andMe and its later bankruptcy.
“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,” Tong stated.
The state attorney general was testifying in support of HB 5128, which is scheduled for a public hearing in the state House on Feb. 18. The bill “addresses a concerning gap in Connecticut’s current law that puts the most sensitive data of every resident at risk, their DNA,” Tong said.
The state attorney general said that his office led a multistate probe of 23andMe after genetic information from more than six million users was stolen.
“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,” he testified.
“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,” he added.
