Washington, D.C. – During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled “23 and You: The Privacy and National Security Implications of the 23andMe Bankruptcy,” U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) raised questions regarding data privacy, gender classification, and the handling of sensitive genetic information by the at-home DNA testing company, 23andMe.
The hearing featured testimony from 23andMe Interim CEO Paul Selsavage, who fielded questions from committee members on the company’s policies and obligations in the context of its ongoing bankruptcy proceedings and potential acquisition.
Senator Britt began her remarks by pressing Selsavage on whether the company would uphold existing privacy standards under any new ownership. Selsavage affirmed that maintaining such standards would be a requirement in any future transaction.
Turning to the company’s approach to sex and gender in its DNA analysis, Senator Britt questioned whether 23andMe bases its health reports on biological sex or on self-identified gender. Selsavage initially expressed uncertainty about the specific policy, prompting Senator Britt to read directly from the company’s website, which acknowledges non-binary identities and explains the use of self-reported sex in tailoring health and trait reports.
Britt highlighted potential medical implications of this practice, asking whether a biological female identifying as male would receive a report that includes risks for male-specific conditions, such as male pattern baldness. Selsavage confirmed that such testing could be done upon request.
The Senator also voiced concerns about the collection and potential transfer of genetic data belonging to minors. She called on 23andMe’s leadership to commit to deleting all children’s data prior to any company sale. Selsavage was unable to provide a figure for how many minors’ genetic profiles had been stored.
“We have to be vigilant when it comes to children and their DNA,” Britt stated, citing potential risks ranging from privacy violations to blackmail.
The hearing comes amid heightened national attention to data privacy and consumer protections, particularly within companies holding sensitive genetic and biometric information.
