Healthcare · Genetic privacy Settled privacy allegations
1Health: deletion promises need an inventory of the data
- Incident
- Public exposure investigated in June 2019; policy change in 2020
- Source report
What was reported
The FTC alleged that 1Health, formerly Vitagene, left nearly 2,400 health reports and raw genetic data for at least 227 consumers in publicly accessible cloud storage. It also challenged deletion representations and a retroactive expansion of data-sharing purposes. The FTC’s case timeline records a final order in September 2023; a later notice confirms consumer refunds under the settlement.
Read the report from Federal Trade Commission
Our perspective
Our reading: Private memory needs a clear account of what is stored and where it travels. Vivendur’s work on context selection and revocation is relevant to reducing unnecessary copies and making the limits of ending access understandable.
Explore task-specific accessLimits of this connection
Revoking future access does not erase previously exported data or physical DNA samples. Storage configuration, verified deletion, and laboratory controls remain separate responsibilities.