Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
An investigation has been launched into the sudden disappearance of DNA-testing company Atlas Biomed amid concerns over customers’ data. The company, which has offices in London, had offered its users insights into their genetic make-up and potential predisposition to certain illnesses. However, users are now unable to access their reports online and the company has not responded to the BBC’s requests for comment. The development highlights how people using DNA-testing services are vulnerable to being “completely at the mercy” of such companies when it comes to the protection of sensitive data.
Customers of Atlas Biomed, who have paid for personalised genetic reports, describe the situation as “very alarming” and want to know what has happened to their “most personal information”. The regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), is currently handling a complaint about the company’s activities. Its statement warns that people have “the right to expect that organisations will handle their personal information securely and responsibly”.
For those who have shared their data with Atlas Biomed, anxieties about what has happened to their information are acute. One customer, Lisa Topping, paid around £100 for a personalised genetic report which also claimed to provide information on her predisposition to diseases and injuries. Since the collapse of the company, she is no longer able to access her report online and is yet to receive any clarification from Atlas Biomed. “I don’t know what someone else could do with [the data] but it’s the most personal information…”, Topping said.
The company is still listed as an active business on the UK’s register of companies, Companies House. However, it has not filed any accounts since December 2022, arousing suspicions. Some of its officers have resigned. Two of the apparent remaining officers are listed with the same Moscow address as a Russian billionaire, who is described as a former director of Atlas Biomed. The company’s registered address is near London’s Silicon Roundabout, a hub for technology firms
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.