In a significant legal development, a class action lawsuit has been filed against a genetic testing company accused of unlawfully sharing sensitive genetic information with third-party advertising giants. The complaint was lodged by plaintiffs Melissa Neblock and Xodus Moore in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on December 12, 2024, targeting Gene by Gene, Ltd., which operates under the name FamilyTreeDNA.
The lawsuit claims that FamilyTreeDNA failed to protect the privacy of its customers' genetic data, instead transmitting this highly sensitive information to third parties like Google and Facebook without consent. This disclosure allegedly occurred through the use of tracking tools embedded in FamilyTreeDNA's website. These tools reportedly collected personally identifiable information from users who accessed their genetic testing results online, thereby violating both customer trust and state privacy laws such as the Illinois Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA). The plaintiffs argue that this act of sharing personal genetic data not only breached FamilyTreeDNA’s own privacy policy but also infringed upon their rights under GIPA, which strictly prohibits unauthorized disclosure of genetic test results.
The plaintiffs are seeking a court order to halt these alleged unlawful activities and are demanding statutory damages for themselves and other affected individuals. They emphasize that unlike other personal identifiers like credit card numbers or social security numbers, genetic information is immutable and its unauthorized distribution poses irreversible risks to individual privacy. The lawsuit underscores how FamilyTreeDNA's actions have compromised consumer expectations of confidentiality regarding their most intimate data—genetic information revealing health conditions, ethnic backgrounds, and familial ties.
Representing the plaintiffs are attorneys skilled in handling complex class action suits. The case is presided over by judges within the Northern District of Illinois court system under Case ID 3:24-cv-50501. As this legal battle unfolds, it raises critical questions about corporate responsibility in safeguarding consumer data amidst growing concerns over digital privacy violations.