Privacy class action over genetic data moves forward
A federal judge on Wednesday waved portions of a class action by people who say a San Diego-based operator of a genealogical research site allowed third parties, including Meta and law enforcement, access to their DNA profile without their permission. U.S. District Judge James Simmons Jr. partially denied a motion to dismiss the claims by Verogen Inc. and Qiagen NV, a European multinational that acquired GEDmatch.com in 2023. The judge said the plaintiffs can proceed with their claims that pertain to a purported technical loophole in GEDmatch’s PRO platform, which allowed law enforcement users to circumvent the opt-out privacy setting and run comparisons against profiles of users who had specifically restricted such access.
A federal judge on Wednesday waved portions of a class action by people who say a San Diego-based operator of a genealogical research site allowed third parties, including Meta and law enforcement, access to their DNA profile without their permission.
U.S. District Judge James Simmons Jr. partially denied a motion to dismiss the claims by Verogen Inc. and Qiagen NV, a European multinational that acquired GEDmatch.com in 2023.
The judge said the plaintiffs can proceed with their claims that pertain to a purported technical loophole in GEDmatch’s PRO platform, which allowed law enforcement users to circumvent the opt-out privacy setting and run comparisons against profiles of users who had specifically restricted such access.
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