Aunt Vovi

So in a lot of cases, a bankrupt company's creditors, the people who are owed money, they don't necessarily want the CPO because it might mean a smaller payout for them. And the bankrupt company itself often doesn't want a CPO because it could slow down the sale process and make their portfolio of assets less valuable to potential buyers.

In the case of 23andMe, the company's lawyers argued that they should be allowed to skip the CPO and just hire their own private privacy monitor. But the Texas attorney general and the federal watchdog over the bankruptcy process have pushed back, saying no. Given this highly sensitive data, the case should get its own official ombudsman. So now it is up to the bankruptcy court to decide.

In the case of 23andMe, the company's lawyers argued that they should be allowed to skip the CPO and just hire their own private privacy monitor. But the Texas attorney general and the federal watchdog over the bankruptcy process have pushed back, saying no. Given this highly sensitive data, the case should get its own official ombudsman. So now it is up to the bankruptcy court to decide.

In the case of 23andMe, the company's lawyers argued that they should be allowed to skip the CPO and just hire their own private privacy monitor. But the Texas attorney general and the federal watchdog over the bankruptcy process have pushed back, saying no. Given this highly sensitive data, the case should get its own official ombudsman. So now it is up to the bankruptcy court to decide.

Okay, so we've learned about how private consumer data has been sold in bankruptcy in the past. To understand how the bankruptcy court will settle on a buyer for 23andMe, we called up Melissa Jacoby. She's a professor of bankruptcy law at the University of North Carolina.

Okay, so we've learned about how private consumer data has been sold in bankruptcy in the past. To understand how the bankruptcy court will settle on a buyer for 23andMe, we called up Melissa Jacoby. She's a professor of bankruptcy law at the University of North Carolina.

Okay, so we've learned about how private consumer data has been sold in bankruptcy in the past. To understand how the bankruptcy court will settle on a buyer for 23andMe, we called up Melissa Jacoby. She's a professor of bankruptcy law at the University of North Carolina.

And just keep in mind, you're talking to me as if we're at a bar.

And just keep in mind, you're talking to me as if we're at a bar.

And just keep in mind, you're talking to me as if we're at a bar.

23andMe has already proposed a set of conditions for who will be eligible to bid here, several of which follow the ToySmart settlement.

23andMe has already proposed a set of conditions for who will be eligible to bid here, several of which follow the ToySmart settlement.

23andMe has already proposed a set of conditions for who will be eligible to bid here, several of which follow the ToySmart settlement.

Okay, let's dive into those commitments. I'm getting out my printed copy of 23andMe's privacy agreement. Bring it with me everywhere now. So this is the document where 23andMe reserved its right to sell Vovi and everybody else's data. But this agreement also gives customers some protections that will be relevant to the sale and what happens after.

Okay, let's dive into those commitments. I'm getting out my printed copy of 23andMe's privacy agreement. Bring it with me everywhere now. So this is the document where 23andMe reserved its right to sell Vovi and everybody else's data. But this agreement also gives customers some protections that will be relevant to the sale and what happens after.

Okay, let's dive into those commitments. I'm getting out my printed copy of 23andMe's privacy agreement. Bring it with me everywhere now. So this is the document where 23andMe reserved its right to sell Vovi and everybody else's data. But this agreement also gives customers some protections that will be relevant to the sale and what happens after.

It promises that the company will not share their data with law enforcement unless legally mandated. And it gives the customers the right to delete their information at any time and to have their saliva samples destroyed. A new buyer would have to honor all of that to qualify.

It promises that the company will not share their data with law enforcement unless legally mandated. And it gives the customers the right to delete their information at any time and to have their saliva samples destroyed. A new buyer would have to honor all of that to qualify.

It promises that the company will not share their data with law enforcement unless legally mandated. And it gives the customers the right to delete their information at any time and to have their saliva samples destroyed. A new buyer would have to honor all of that to qualify.

We asked Melissa about some of the more dystopian potential buyers. For example, could a Chinese tech company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party put in a bid for 23andMe and get access to its genetic database? Kentucky Congressman James Comer recently raised this concern and opened a house oversight investigation into the 23andMe bankruptcy.