- Enforcing jurisdiction
- United Kingdom · Geography does not establish applicable law.
- Confirmed applicable legislation
- No confirmed legal basis recorded.
- Privacy topics
23andMe, Inc. – €2,700,000 Fine (United Kingdom, 2025)
Privacy enforcement record
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23andMe, Inc. was fined €2,700,000 for failing to secure sensitive genetic data, which led to a data breach affecting over 155,000 customers. The company did not act quickly enough to identify the breach or inform authorities. This ruling serves as a warning for businesses to implement strong security measures to protect user data.
What happened
23andMe, Inc. failed to implement adequate security measures, resulting in a data breach that exposed personal data of 155,592 UK customers.
Who was affected
UK customers of 23andMe whose sensitive genetic and personal data was compromised during the breach.
What the authority found
The Information Commissioner's Office determined that 23andMe violated GDPR Articles 5(1)(f) and 32 by not ensuring sufficient data security.
Why this matters
This case emphasizes the necessity for companies to have effective security practices in place to protect sensitive information. Failure to do so can lead to significant fines and loss of customer trust.
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The UK DPA imposed a fine of £ 2,310,000 (EUR 2,700,000) on 23andMe, Inc. The controller, a company offering DNA testing to private individuals, failed to implement sufficient technical and organizational measures to ensure data security, especially in regards to the sensitivity of the processed data. As a result, a cyberattack occurred, which led to a data breach affecting 155,592 UK-based users over the course of at least five months. The DPA considered the controller's failure to identify the attack earlier and its failure to adequately inform the DPA about the breach as aggravating factors.
Related Enforcement Actions (0)
No other enforcement actions found for 23andMe, Inc. in UK
This is the only recorded action for this entity in this jurisdiction.
Details
Fine Date
5 June 2025
Authority
Information Commissioner's Office
Fine Amount
€2,700,000
Enforcement Tracker ID
ETid-2656
About this data
Cite as: Cookie Fines. 23andMe, Inc. - United Kingdom (2025). Retrieved from cookiefines.eu
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