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23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

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Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#21

Post by skummetmaelk »

fsckboy wrote: post #18
skummetmaelk wrote: post #6

This disaster is the perfect counter-argument to those always saying "why do you care so much about privacy. It doesn't affect you when I share things. You can just choose not to do it", except no, I can't choose when we're relatives and you chose to share our genome. It is so obvious that your relatives sharing their genomic data with 23andMe reveals a lot of information about you. We can only hope people will reali…

I'm in favor of privacy, and I'm willing to go more out of my way to not share than the vast majority of people, but I'm also in favor of individual choice, and I can't think of a privacy model that would disallow other people from sharing their information just because you have some matching information.

I can think of an easy model. Disallow collection of personal information. Pull the rug out from under "services" which are really just data collection fronts turning a profit from selling your data instead of the primary service/good for money transaction.

23andMe could still have operated legally under this scheme. They could have done the analysis and sent you a printed sheet. But no, they had to store everything to be able to double dip by selling the data to pharma companies and whoever else would pay for it.

If you can't turn a profit without underhandedly selling your users' data. You deserve to fail.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#24

Post by mtlmtlmtlmtl »

fsckboy wrote: post #19
poyu wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I signed up with fake name, delivered to a friends address, and a Privacy.com single use credit card. No one is forcing you to use real credentials anywhere online.

there is no credential more comprehensively solid than your genome

Yeah it's sort of like using Tor to log in to Facebook and expecting Facebook not to know who you are because your IP is obscured.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#25

Post by Melting_Harps »

skummetmaelk wrote: post #6

This disaster is the perfect counter-argument to those always saying "why do you care so much about privacy. It doesn't affect you when I share things. You can just choose not to do it", except no, I can't choose when we're relatives and you chose to share our genome. It is so obvious that your relatives sharing their genomic data with 23andMe reveals a lot of information about you. We can only hope people will reali…

> This disaster is the perfect counter-argument to those always saying

Personally speaking, I think Equihax was the better counter-argument; at least with 23andme YOU as a customer had to DECIDE to use their services and weigh the pros-cons of doing so, with Equihax I was forced into a rating system to determine my eligibility in a system that hoovers up any and all data sold to them by 3rd parties and holds all my personal information in order to complete anything from a loan application to a job application.

And when found to have been breached no effective recourse was made, and instead of admitting fault to a very high probability of Identity theft being the end result a token 'credit system monitoring' service was offered, which once again relies on these credit agencies who share/distribute this information without my consent and created the problem are let off scot-free and never suffer any consequences.

In short, it's a naive argument made from often ignorant and self-defeating practices that make others worse off because of their complacency and refusal to take privacy serious.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#27

Post by skummetmaelk »

Melting_Harps wrote: post #25
skummetmaelk wrote: post #6

This disaster is the perfect counter-argument to those always saying "why do you care so much about privacy. It doesn't affect you when I share things. You can just choose not to do it", except no, I can't choose when we're relatives and you chose to share our genome. It is so obvious that your relatives sharing their genomic data with 23andMe reveals a lot of information about you. We can only hope people will reali…

> This disaster is the perfect counter-argument to those always saying Personally speaking, I think Equihax was the better counter-argument; at least with 23andme YOU as a customer had to DECIDE to use their services and weigh the pros-cons of doing so, with Equihax I was forced into a rating system to determine my eligibility in a system that hoovers up any and all data sold to them by 3rd parties and holds all my p…

Completely true. However, Equifax was probably hard to wrap your head around. Whereas 23andme might seem a lot more personal and private to the average person. Of course, nothing is likely to come of this regardless.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#29

Post by taurath »

How much does that have to do with their TOS update which went out on thanksgiving DAY (the most perfect time to get lost in everyone’s inboxes). The TOS update somehow tries to forbid class actions, requires you to go through an “informal” 60 day process before any legal action, and forces you into binding arbitration.

Functionally you as a customer have next to no legal rights, according to 23andMe lawyers who cooked this up.

Re: 23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9M users

#30

Post by ta1243 »

shatnersbassoon wrote: post #14
mrtksn wrote: post #11

If anyone who used the service, do you know if you can use it anonymously? I wanted to try it but I was afraid of exactly this. How feasible it is to use a payment and an address that doesn't directly connect you to your samples?

Given the nature of the service, you should probably treat it as inherently pseudonymous. You're handing over irrevocable genetic data which will link you to relatives. Whatever their data protection assurances are, you have to imagine the worst case scenario - massive data leakage. And if this happens then you will in all likelihood be identifiable.

indeed, if you have a cousin that has already filled in the data about your grandparents, and they do a scan showing "John Doe" is the descendent of Arthur, Betty, Charlie, and Debbie; then you're already linked with a "shadow profile". Chances are they'll have the data from your cousin with your name added too, so now they can link the DNA of "John Doe" with the shadow profile of "YourActualName, cousin of Timmy TakeMyData".

The only solution to this is regulation and enough incentive that companies have to treat data as they treat radioactive waste material. Storing data should be a liability, not an asset.

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