INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Veritas Genetics, a DNA testing startup, has said a data breach resulted in unauthorized access of some customer information.
The Danvers,
Mass.-based company said its customer-facing portal had &recently& been breached but did not say when
Although the portal did not contain test results or medical information, the company declined to say what information had been stolen —
only that a handful of customers were affected.
The company has not issued a public statement, nor has it acknowledge the breach on its
website.
Spokesperson Rodrigo Martinez denied there was a data &theft& but provided no evidence for the claim
Its statement did not elaborate on the breach.
Bloomberg first reported the news.
Veritas, whose competitors include 23andMe, Ancestry and
MyHeritage, says it can analyze and understand a human genome using an individual DNA, allowing customers to understand what health risks
they may face in later life or pass on to their children.
Although the stolen data did not include personal health information, it likely to
further fuel concerns that health startups, particularly companies dealing with sensitive DNA and genome information, can&t protect their
users& data.
Privacy remains an emerging concern in genetics testing after law enforcement have served legal demands against DNA collection
and genetics testing companies to help identify suspects in criminal cases
Just this week, it was reported that a &game changer& warrant obtained in Florida allowed one police department to search the full database
of GEDmatch, a DNA testing company, which last year was used by police to help catch the notorious Golden State Killer.
Some 26 million
consumers have used an at-home genetics testing kit.
Updated with comment from Veritas.
DNA analysis site that led to the Golden State
Killer issues a privacy warning to users
