Verogen Hit With Genetic-Privacy Suit Over Acquisition by Qiagen

DNA-analysis company Verogen Inc. improperly disclosed the genetic information of nearly 2 million people to Qiagen NV, a Dutch-based company that purchased it in 2023, and to Meta Platforms Inc. and law enforcement agencies, a proposed federal class action said.

Angela Hutcheson, Sara Lafler, Alucard Taylor, and seven others alleged that Verogen violated the genetic-privacy laws of Alaska, Illinois, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Oregon when it sold its database of user-uploaded DNA files to Qiagen without informing users or obtaining their consent.

The company also broke the state laws by installing Meta’s ‘pixel’ tracking tools on its ...