23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million users

Some 6.9 million 23andMe customers had their data compromised after an anonymous hacker accessed user profiles and posted them for sale on the internet earlier this year, the company has confirmed.

The compromised data included users’ ancestry information as well as, for some users, health-related information based on their genetic profiles, the company said in an email.

Privacy advocates have long warned that sharing DNA with testing companies like 23andMe and Ancestry makes consumers vulnerable ...