Published 7:55 am Thursday, July 23, 2026 ATLANTA — The genetic testing company 23andMe gave tens of thousands of Georgians insights into their ancestry and health predispositions. A massive data breach also subjected those Georgians to an invasion of privacy, allowing others an opportunity to see their genetic information after their data was published for sale on the dark web, according to Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. Carr announced that 171,125 Georgians were affected by the 2023 breach that compromised the genetic data of 6.9 million customers worldwide. The unraveling of the company has led to a settlement between state attorneys general and the bankruptcy trustee for 23andMe that will result in a $452,232 payment to the state treasury, Carr’s office said last week. The money comes from an $18 million settlement fund for participating states. It is separate from a $47 million class-action settlement with customers, a spokesman for Carr’s office said Tuesday. The claim period for the class-action lawsuit ended in February. The company initially denied the breach had occurred, then blamed consumers for exposing themselves with their account setup or password choices, according to Carr’s office, which said 23andMe initially accepted no responsibility for a “credential stuffing” breach. Carr joined 41 other attorneys general to hold the company to account. Their investigation found “unreasonable” data security practices, Carr’s office said, including failure to…
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