Claimants Could Receive up to $10,000 in Data Breach Settlement

(KMDL-FM) As more and more of our lives are being shared and stored online, there are more and more attempts to gain unlawful access to that information. In most cases, either through our own personal protection plans or cybersecurity plans from our employers out data is reasonably secure.

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Data breaches happen to the best of companies. Yahoo experienced a major breach of data in 2013 and 2014. LinkedIn suffered a massive data breach in 2021. Facebook got hacked by cybercriminals in 2019, and Marriott International suffered a major data breach in 2018.

What Happens When Your Personal Data is Breached?

In most of those cases, the companies that were involved reached out to their client base and informed them of the breach. In some of those cases, restitution was repaid to those affected by the breach in security.  The time for action in those cases has come and gone.

However, there is a current data breach claim settlement that is nearing a deadline that many of you might want to consider pursuing. If you used the direct-to-consumer genetic testing service 23andMe in mid and late 2023, a lot of your sensitive data may have been compromised.

And by sensitive, we don't just mean financial information. There is a lot of medical information, including genetic information, that could be used against consumers if it falls into the wrong hands. Based on reports, some of the information from the 23andMe breach did make it onto the "dark web".

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When Did The 23andMe Data Breach Occur?

If you used 23andMe's services between May 1, 2023, and October 1, 2023, you are eligible to file a claim in the current settlement lawsuit. You should have received a notice from the company that your personal information was impacted by the breach.

According to reports, the data for more than 6 million users, including names, addresses, and genetic data, was leaked and put up for sale on the dark web. As part of the settlement, those affected are being compensated depending on the severity of the impact of the data breach on their personal information.

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Based on information in the settlement suit, you could receive:

Up to $10,000:  for Extraordinary Claims;
Up to $165:  for Health Information Claims;
An estimated $100:  for Statutory Cash Claims;
5 years:  of Privacy & Medical Shield + Genetic Monitoring

Once all court proceedings have concluded, benefits will be processed and distributed. If you would like to file a claim, you may do so on the 23andMe Settlement website. Again, those claims must be submitted before February 17, 2026.

23andMe has since filed for bankruptcy and is now owned by TTAM Research Institute, a non-profit group created by the company's co-founder.