Genetic testing company 23andMe sold user data to the Chinese government.
Judgement: 
In May 2024, a rumor spread that genetic testing company 23andMe - which provides information about ancestry and health variants using a sample of saliva - was selling user data to the Chinese government. The claim was found on several social media platforms, including Facebook and X.
The claim that 23andMe sold user data to the Chinese government spread largely through a screenshot of an article on Medium, an online publishing platform.
23 and I are selling all our DNA assets to China.
"Why didn't you do 23 and me, Cody? Why don't you care about your heritage??? Aren't you curious?"
No. pic.twitter.com/CVWGiICN8s
- CAMELCAST OFFICIAL (@CAMELCASTOff) May 14, 2024
The Medium article [archived here]published by author Matt Ryan Allen on February 21, 2024, began:
23 & Me sells all DNA assets to the Chinese government in a $10 billion dealSalt Lake City, UT - In a groundbreaking move that has sent shockwaves through the biotech industry, 23 & Me, the leading personal genomics and biotechnology company, has officially announced the sale of its entire DNA database to the Chinese government for an astonishing $10 billion. The deal, hailed as "a monumental leap in international cooperation in genetic research" by some and "the plot of a dystopian science fiction movie" by others, marks the first time a government has gained direct access to the genetic information of millions of individuals. .
However, the article was completely fabricated and had no basis in reality. If readers had scrolled to the bottom of the post (sometimes it's not possible to scroll to the bottom of the article without a Medium membership), they would have found this disclaimer:
Disclaimer: This article is a work of parody and intended for entertainment purposes only. No such sale or agreement has been entered into between 23 & Me and any government. Read it with a sense of humor and a grain of salt.
There were also several indications in the article of its satirical nature. The actual title of the company is 23andMe, not 23 & Me. The article also stated that Gene Hackmore was the CEO of 23andMe, but the actual CEO, at the time of writing, is 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojcicki.
There is no evidence at the time of writing that such a transaction has occurred between 23andMe and the Chinese government. However, shortly after the publication of the article on Medium, an article appeared [archived here] the Washington Post detailed a new Biden order that would stem "the flow of sensitive data from Americans to China," including genetic data. The article said:
Among the most sensitive categories are people's DNA and biometric data, as well as computer keyboard usage patterns. For example, the intention is not to prevent an American from sending DNA to the genomics company 23andMe to see if she has distant relatives in China, although the company would then be excluded from selling data in bulk to China or from working with a Chinese processing organization. sturdy, they said.
U.S. officials have noted that BGI Group, a Chinese company with a U.S. subsidiary, operates the China National GeneBank, a massive government-owned repository that now contains genetic data from millions of people around the world. Intelligence officials say they believe Chinese companies are trying to acquire DNA from Americans.
A lawsuit filed against 23andMe in January 2024 over a security breach targeting Jewish and Chinese customers received wide coverage, including from The New York Times, Reuters and CBS.
On 23andMe's website, the company's privacy policy specifies that it "will not share your genetic information with employers, insurance companies, public databases, or third-party marketers without your express consent."
Sources:
Allen, Matt Ryan. '23 & Me sells all DNA assets to Chinese government in $10 billion deal'. Medium February 21, 2024, https://medium.com/@matt.ryanallen/23-me-sells-all-dna-assets-to-chinese-government-in-10-billion-dollar-deal-030db9e4e1e8.
Anne Wojcicki - 23andMe | LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/annewojcicki. Accessed May 16, 2024.
Bloomberg - Are you a robot? https://www.bloomberg.com/tosv2.html?vid=&uuid=a6126c3e-13d9-11ef-b500-f0626e042496&url=L25ld3MvYXJ0aWNsZXMvMjAyNC0wMi0wNy9iaWRlbi1wb2lzZWQtdG8tcmVzdHJpY3QtY W 1lcmljYW5zLXBlcnNvbmFsLWRhdGEtZ29pbmctdG8tY2hpbmE=. Accessed May 16, 2024.
Carballo, Rebecca, et al. "23andMe Breach Targeted Jewish and Chinese Customers, Lawsuit Says." The New York TimesJanuary 26, 2024. NYTimes.com https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/26/business/23andme-hack-data.html.
Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/pamela.elam.7/posts/pfbid0Dxcb49oxasm2VhWWgu9En7D6hMoVwftE9ZVRam1S9Y9fdEEyKd5rqRKtfZVWkirkl. Accessed May 16, 2024.
' https://Twitter.Com/CAMELCASTOff/Status/1790434849771196471′. X (formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/CAMELCASTOff/status/1790434849771196471. Accessed May 16, 2024.
' https://Twitter.Com/Rothmus/Status/1790408907828957254′. X (formerly Twitter), https://twitter.com/Rothmus/status/1790408907828957254. Accessed May 16, 2024.
Nakashima, Ellen and Drew Harwell. 'New Biden order would stop the flow of sensitive data from Americans to China' WashingtonpostFebruary 26, 2024. www.washingtonpost.com https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/02/26/biden-sensitive-data-china-ban/.
Satter, Raphael and Raphael Satter. "Hackers advertise sale of 23andMe data on leaked data forum." ReutersOctober 6, 2023. www.reuters.com https://www.reuters.com/technology/hackers-advertise-sale-23andme-data-leaked-data-forum-2023-10-06/.
TikTok - Make your day. https://www.tiktok.com/discover/23-and-me-sold-to-china. Accessed May 16, 2024.
'US Senator Asks 23andMe for Details After Data Reported for Sale Online'. ReutersOctober 20, 2023. www.reuters.com https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senator-asks-23andme-details-after-reported-data-sale-online-2023-10-20/.
'23andMe did not sell all DNA data to China'. Complete fact May 15, 2024, https://fullfact.org/online/23-and-me-dna-data-china-satire/.
23andMe hack lets 'threat actor' access data for millions of customers, company says - CBS News. December 5, 2023, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hackers-accessed-23andme-dna-data-millions-users/.
23andI. Privacy and data protection - 23andMe. https://www.23andme.com/privacy/. Accessed May 16, 2024.
