California May Require Consent to Share Consumer Genetic Data

Ancestry.com and other commercial genetic testing companies would need consent from customers before disclosing their data to third parties under a bill on Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

S.B. 980 by Sen. Tom Umberg (D) won a final vote in the Senate 39-0 Monday to agree to amendments taken in the Assembly. Newsom (D) hasn’t taken a position on the bill, which passed the Assembly 69-0 Aug. 30 and first passed the Senate in June.

The bill establishes rules for sharing information held by direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies that falls outside the California Consumer Privacy Act and federal Health Insurance ...