UK watchdog hits 23andMe with multi-million pound fine over 2023 data breach

• The ICO has issued 23andMe with £2.31 million ($3.1 million) fine
• Fine is punishment for failings following 2023 data breach
• An investigation found 'serious security failings'

The British data protection watchdog, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued a £2.31 million fine to 23andMe for “failing to implement appropriate security measures to protect the personal information of UK users”

This follows a 2023 cyberattack in which hackers accessed 23andMe personal user data.

The breach only affected 0.1% of the company's customer base, roughly 14,000 individuals, but thanks to the sensitive nature of the information 23andMe holds, hackers were able to access “a significant number of files containing profile information about other users’ ancestry that such users chose to share.”