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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

#81
post #8

Something does not add up. "23andMe said the data breach was caused by customers reusing passwords" Yet 14,000 accounts were breached in one go? Where did these passwords come from? Maybe there was another related breach (something like lastpass can explain this)? Also, using the "DNA Relatives" features the hackers were able to access personal information relating to 6.9 million individuals. That means each one of t…

Genghis Khan got hacked?

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

#82

It's imperative to recognize that the healing of cross-generational trauma is a journey within an individual's lifetime, rather than resorting to a confrontational approach that employs genetic data to incriminate individuals based on what science implies about their genetic makeup. The flaws inherent in this data—biased, widespread, and contaminated—highlight its unreliability. Relying on such data, which historical…

Anyone else notice downvotes are hand and hand with google criticism here much?

Yeah, it’s almost as if a swarm of google investors and employees launch radical campaigns against critics.

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

#83
post #8

Something does not add up. "23andMe said the data breach was caused by customers reusing passwords" Yet 14,000 accounts were breached in one go? Where did these passwords come from? Maybe there was another related breach (something like lastpass can explain this)? Also, using the "DNA Relatives" features the hackers were able to access personal information relating to 6.9 million individuals. That means each one of t…

14000 accounts 7M users? That ratio is a bit skewed.

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

#84
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

They are frank about also selling the data for research, it is not underhanded. It's even opt in...

For example, they talk about it on this page, which is linked from the about menu (so available with pretty small effort): https://www.23andme.com/research/

I expect lots of people also like that they get updates when information about new markers becomes available.

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

#85
post #8

Something does not add up. "23andMe said the data breach was caused by customers reusing passwords" Yet 14,000 accounts were breached in one go? Where did these passwords come from? Maybe there was another related breach (something like lastpass can explain this)? Also, using the "DNA Relatives" features the hackers were able to access personal information relating to 6.9 million individuals. That means each one of t…

Genghis Khan got hacked?

I think Genghis Khan usually did the hacking…

With a sword.

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

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anyone else notice downvotes are hand and hand with google criticism here much?

Yeah, it’s almost as if a swarm of google investors and employees launch radical campaigns against critics.

Maybe we all shouldn’t be so QUIC to bad protocols.

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

#87
post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I struggle to understand what is written here.

Sorry, if Google didn’t make so many world changing products so quickly I’m sure I would have less criticism of Google in general and fit in more easily here.

Does what you wrote have something to do with Google? I don't see it.

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

#88
post #20
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

FYI, the police is able to find criminals now by finding DNA sequences similarities with your relatives. Not saying this is good or bad, I am just saying you don't know the extent of the impact to your personal freedom when your relative's DNA is shared.

I can help track down distant family members who have committed crimes? Sounds like a plus.

I think the angst about this comes from men who don't want their status as fathers of illegitimate children (or, rapists when they were younger) unmasked.

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

#89

I never seriously considered using 23 and me. Not because of hackers, but rather what government would do with that information. I don't want to be responsible for some random relative getting charged with a crime just because I was curious about my family tree.

If that's your only concern, you need to read up on something called "Nazis." Imagine what they would do with a database of genetic information.

They'd populate the database by making participation compulsory.
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