Aunt Vovi
👤 PersonAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Vovee found out, along with the rest of us, that 23andMe had filed for bankruptcy. And the data on Aunt Vovee's genome, along with the genomes of millions of other 23andMe customers, was potentially up for sale. And it's not like 23andMe is thinking of selling your shopping preferences for shoes or something. These are the blueprints our bodies use to build themselves.
Vovee found out, along with the rest of us, that 23andMe had filed for bankruptcy. And the data on Aunt Vovee's genome, along with the genomes of millions of other 23andMe customers, was potentially up for sale. And it's not like 23andMe is thinking of selling your shopping preferences for shoes or something. These are the blueprints our bodies use to build themselves.
Vovee found out, along with the rest of us, that 23andMe had filed for bankruptcy. And the data on Aunt Vovee's genome, along with the genomes of millions of other 23andMe customers, was potentially up for sale. And it's not like 23andMe is thinking of selling your shopping preferences for shoes or something. These are the blueprints our bodies use to build themselves.
And Fovey read that 23andMe's website was crashing because so many customers were rushing to delete their highly sensitive data. Yeah, it was like a run on the gene bank. All of which obviously raised some big questions for Aunt Fovey. Like, now that 23andMe was in bankruptcy, was it allowed to just sell her genetic information? Who would want to buy it?
And Fovey read that 23andMe's website was crashing because so many customers were rushing to delete their highly sensitive data. Yeah, it was like a run on the gene bank. All of which obviously raised some big questions for Aunt Fovey. Like, now that 23andMe was in bankruptcy, was it allowed to just sell her genetic information? Who would want to buy it?
And Fovey read that 23andMe's website was crashing because so many customers were rushing to delete their highly sensitive data. Yeah, it was like a run on the gene bank. All of which obviously raised some big questions for Aunt Fovey. Like, now that 23andMe was in bankruptcy, was it allowed to just sell her genetic information? Who would want to buy it?
Could that information affect things like insurance premiums? Could it end up in the hands of law enforcement or a foreign-owned company? And what about the data itself?
Could that information affect things like insurance premiums? Could it end up in the hands of law enforcement or a foreign-owned company? And what about the data itself?
Could that information affect things like insurance premiums? Could it end up in the hands of law enforcement or a foreign-owned company? And what about the data itself?
How is that going to be broken into valuable assets? Was that going to be sold to the highest bidder? And how much is my data even worth?
How is that going to be broken into valuable assets? Was that going to be sold to the highest bidder? And how much is my data even worth?
How is that going to be broken into valuable assets? Was that going to be sold to the highest bidder? And how much is my data even worth?
Hello and welcome to Planet Money.
Hello and welcome to Planet Money.
Hello and welcome to Planet Money.
Today on the show, what might happen to Vovey's genetic data as 23andMe works its way through the bankruptcy process, and what it all reveals about the data that all of us willingly hand over to companies every single day.
Today on the show, what might happen to Vovey's genetic data as 23andMe works its way through the bankruptcy process, and what it all reveals about the data that all of us willingly hand over to companies every single day.
Today on the show, what might happen to Vovey's genetic data as 23andMe works its way through the bankruptcy process, and what it all reveals about the data that all of us willingly hand over to companies every single day.
So 23andMe was founded in part on the idea that if they could build a massive database of consumer data, they'd be able to figure out how to monetize it down the road. And the company was successful at building this data set. Over the past couple decades, some 15 million customers have sent their DNA to 23andMe.
So 23andMe was founded in part on the idea that if they could build a massive database of consumer data, they'd be able to figure out how to monetize it down the road. And the company was successful at building this data set. Over the past couple decades, some 15 million customers have sent their DNA to 23andMe.