America’s genetic data is on the auction block — will Beijing buy it?

Excerpt

The bankruptcy of genetic-testing company 23andMe puts millions of Americans’ genomic profiles at risk of being sold to the highest bidder — including the Chinese Communist Party. For Beijing, potentially acquiring this sensitive data aligns with its explicit ambition to dominate biotechnology, a strategic domain with profound implications for privacy, surveillance and U.S. national security. 

23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month after years of financial turbulence and business missteps. Once valued at over $6 billion, the company built its brand on affordable at-home DNA testing, amassing genomic data from more than 15 million people in 50 countries.  

But, a 2023 cyber breach exposing 23andMe’s customers’ data irreparably damaged public trust in the company. It also unscored genetic information’s value as a 21st-century commodity — one increasingly targeted by criminals and state-linked actors alike.

Craig Singleton, a former U.S. diplomat, is senior director of the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and author of Biotech Battlefield: Weaponizing Innovation in the Age of Genomics.