Potential Sale Of Americans’ DNA May Trigger National Security Review
23andMe has been sharing consumer data with “pharmaceutical companies,” including the “Ministry of Defense of Russia.”
(ZeroHedge) – The U.S. Department of Justice submitted a formal notice to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, which is overseeing the Chapter 11 case of defunct 23andMe Holding Co. (Case No. 25-40976), warning that the potential sale of its assets—including a gigantic pool of millions of Americans’ genetic data—may trigger a national security review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming wrote in a filing that 23andMe is prohibited from selling the genetic data of more than 15 million customers to “covered persons”—companies classified as foreign entities that are 50% or more owned by entities based in countries such as China, Russia, and North Korea.
Fleming’s notice does not ask U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Brian Walsh to take action against any potential 23andMe transactions. Instead, the U.S. government is requesting that CFIUS review any sale of genetic data to ensure foreign adversaries are not using shell companies to acquire it.
Safeguarding the gigantic pool of genetic data of Americans is a national security priority because of the increasing risk that precision bioweapons can be designed to target specific genetic traits or ethnic groups, based on shared DNA markers.
For example, if a hostile actor or rogue group linked to Iran or the Chinese Communist Party accessed genomic data, they could develop pathogens that are more virulent or lethal to those with certain genetic traits.
Last month, James O’Keefe of O’Keefe Media Group stoked maximum fears after releasing a video featuring an undercover journalist speaking with Nathaniel Johnson, a policy advisor at the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
In the footage, Johnson suggested that 23andMe may have already sold off users’ genetic data: “Do not give your information to those people [23andMe]… they sell it to other people.”
Johnson explained: “There’s a clause in their contract, that basically says, like, we can give your information to our shareholders. So that they can do stuff. And all of their shareholders are, like pharmaceutical companies. But some of those pharmaceutical companies are based in other countries, and those pharmaceutical companies in other countries are like the property of, like the Ministry of Defense of Russia. Or, like, owned, by China.”
We have a U.S. Treasury Policy Advisor on tape telling us 23andMe has been sharing consumer data with “pharmaceutical companies,” including the “Ministry of Defense of Russia.”
Seems like they’ve got bigger issues than financial instability. pic.twitter.com/ROGQWCqvgW
— James O’Keefe (@JamesOKeefeIII) March 24, 2025
The risks of genetic data being weaponized for biological warfare should be on the minds of the Trump administration as the great power competition with China goes into hyperdrive by the 2030s.
Read the filing here: [SCRIBD]
___________
(SOURCE)
Header featured image (edited) credit: Getty Images | Anadolu. Emphasis added by (TLB)
••••
••••
Stay tuned to …
••••
The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)
••••
Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.
••••
Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.
••••
Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Source: TLB
