23andMe notifies customers of data breach into its 'DNA Relatives' feature

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Genetics testing company 23andMe (ME.O) on Tuesday sent emails to several customers to inform them of a breach into the "DNA Relatives" feature that allowed them to compare ancestry information with users worldwide.

After a hacker advertised millions of "pieces of data" stolen from 23andMe on an online forum this month, the company had said it was working with federal law enforcement and forensic experts to investigate it.

In the new emails, a copy of which was seen by Reuters, 23andMe told customers there was a breach of one or more accounts connected to theirs through the "DNA Relatives" feature. That feature allows users around the world to connect and share their personal data including relationship labels, ancestry reports and matching DNA segments, location, birth year and family names, among other things.