Cape News

In a recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley expressed strong criticism towards Joseph Selsavage, the Interim CEO and Chief Financial and Accounting Officer of 23andMe. The ancestry service company is facing scrutiny for its handling of consumer data amid an impending bankruptcy sale.

Senator Hawley questioned Selsavage on the company's transparency regarding its privacy policy. "I hope [consumers] will rush to the courthouse, even as we are here today, to sue you into oblivion," stated Hawley during the hearing. Selsavage admitted that 23andMe retains customers' personal information even after they choose to delete it.

Hawley highlighted concerns over national security implications and accused the company of profiting from misleading consumers about their data practices. He emphasized, "What you’re doing here has all kinds of implications—national security implications, all of it—but nothing is worse than taking the personal, identifiable information of American consumers and keeping it, and lying to them about it, while you make a huge profit off of it."

During the exchange, Senator Hawley also noted Selsavage's reliance on legal counsel: "Don’t talk to your suit behind you. Talk to me."

The situation has drawn attention on social media as well. A tweet from Senator Hawley's account read: "The CEO of 23andMe just got exposed. They KEEP your genetic information, even if you 'delete' it. And now they’re about to sell it."