A couple of week’s ago DNA testing company 23andme announced a data sharing deal with Glaxo SmithKline which also invested $300m. Social media and parts of mainstream media gave the deal a thumbs down. 23andme and its CEO Anne Wojcicki
seem sincere in wanting users to have control over their genetic data. So if they get such an
adverse reaction, how and why can blockchain companies do better?
This is not 23andme’s first big pharma deal. But the recent Facebook Cambridge Analytica scandal is making the public ever more wary about data control.
People may want to help with research, but perhaps a blanket ‘yes to research’ – which is the current state – is too much to ask from customers. Firstly, consumers might want a choice about who gets the information and for what purpose they use it. Secondly, many customers might think they already paid for the DNA test, why should 23andme profit from selling rights to their data. Finally, they may want to have some choice about what data is shared and how.
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