MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced Wisconsin has joined a bipartisan coalition of 28 states in filing a lawsuit on behalf of consumers that objects to the proposed sale of personal genetic information collected by 23andMe. The complaint and a separate objection to the bankruptcy sale, each filed in federal bankruptcy court on June 9, 2025, aim to stop 23andMe from auctioning off the private genetic data of roughly 15 million customers to the highest bidder without customers’ knowledge or consent.
“Consumers’ genetic information shouldn’t be able to be sold off without their consent,” said Attorney General Kaul. “Such highly sensitive information should be protected.”
23andMe, a popular direct-to-consumer DNA testing company, filed for bankruptcy and is now seeking to sell off its assets—including sensitive genetic and health data—in a high-stakes auction. Wisconsin and other states filed this lawsuit to protect each customer’s right to control such deeply personal information and to prevent it from being sold like ordinary property.
The states argue that this kind of information—biological samples, DNA data, health-related traits, and medical records—is too sensitive to be sold without each person’s express, informed consent. If the parties that seek to buy that information from 23andMe are unwilling to obtain such consent, it is possible that the information will be unable to be sold. In either case, the states will be helping ensure that people’s genetic data isn’t misused, exposed in future data breaches, or used in ways customers never contemplated when they signed up to have their DNA analyzed.
Joining Attorney General Kaul in this lawsuit are the attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
