[Guest Post]Urgent:Stop the 23andMe Genetic Data Sale Before June 17th

This Week’s guest post Tuesday is important so be sure to read through the entire piece.

This is somewhat of a follow up to the post I did some time ago about 23andMe and some of the other DNA ancestry sites.

Today Pamela wanted to get her message out as a big part of the case. So anything that can be done to help please do. If you are affected by this case at all her contact info is below so please reach out as this is a time sensitive matter.

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I’m Pamela Norton—founder of TitleChain Foundation (US Patent #11,720,888) and, as of last week, a pro se litigant in a critical fight to protect genetic privacy. On June 17, a bankruptcy court could authorize the sale of 15 million Americans’ genetic profiles at $17 each. That decision would strip away fundamental Fourth, Fifth, and Thirteenth Amendment protections, turning our DNA into a mere spreadsheet entry. Here’s what’s at stake—and exactly what you can do in the next seven days to stop it.

1. What’s Happening—and Why It Matters

The Sale: Eighteen months into 23andMe’s demise and now Chapter 11 process, Regeneron (the stalking-horse bidder) proposed buying the entire consumer database—roughly 15 million genetic records—for $17 per profile (about $256 million total).

The Consequence: If approved on June 17, our most intimate biological information—our genetic “effects”—becomes a commodity: bought, sold, and potentially exploited without any additional consent or compensatory framework.

No Recourse: Once your DNA data is transferred, U.S. law offers virtually no mechanism to retrieve it. That means Big Pharma, insurers, or data brokers could use your genome for research, risk profiling, or resale—permanently.

This isn’t merely a “23andMe privacy lapse” story. It’s a constitutional crisis. I filed an Emergency Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) in the Eastern District of Missouri on behalf of myself and every American whose DNA is on the line. The hearing is scheduled for June 17—if I lose, the sale automatically goes through with no appeal that can reverse it.

2. Constitutional Stakes at Risk

Fourth Amendment (Unreasonable Seizure of “Effects”)

The Fourth Amendment protects “persons, houses, papers, and effects,” and your genetic data is your most personal “effect.”

Transferring 15 million profiles without a warrant or individualized probable cause is an unconstitutional seizure. Modern genomics can reconstruct entire genomes from fragments; once the data is out, your genetic “self” is gone.

Fifth Amendment (Takings Without Just Compensation)

When you sent in that spit kit, you did not agree to sell your genetic inheritance for $17. That price is a pittance compared to the billions in expected downstream revenue for pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and biotech research.

“Just compensation” would require ongoing royalties, transparent valuation, and an opt-out mechanism—none of which exist in the proposed sale.

Thirteenth Amendment (Involuntary Servitude—Digital Edition)

Once sold, you have no true way to revoke consent. That creates a form of involuntary servitude: your DNA can be used and reused without your permission or remuneration.

The Thirteenth Amendment prohibits any form of forced servitude. Treating our genetic data as a transferable commodity violates that core principle.

3. Why I Filed Pro Se—and Why You Should Care

No Law Firm Would Take This Case: Despite the clear constitutional red flags, every major privacy and civil-rights firm I contacted refused to represent me.

So I Went to Court Alone: Last Thursday, I filed a TRO request on behalf of myself and 15 million data contributors.

Key Deadlines:

June 10: Consumer Privacy Ombudsman report due.

June 17: TRO hearing. If denied, the sale closes immediately—no second chance.

Time is slipping away. If the TRO fails, your genetic blueprint is out of your control forever.

4. What You Can (and Must) Do—Today

Call Your U.S. Senators and Representatives

Ask: “Please file an amicus brief or public statement urging the court to uphold Pamela Norton’s TRO. Fifteen million Americans’ Fourth, Fifth, and Thirteenth Amendment rights are on the line.”

How: Dial the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for your senators/representative by name.

Outreach call suggestion:

“Hello, my name is [Your Name] from [City, State]. I’m calling about the 23andMe bankruptcy sale hearing on June 17. Please support an amicus brief to halt the sale of 15 million genetic profiles. This is a grave constitutional issue.”

Contact the White House

Ask: “Please direct DOJ or OMB to file a statement of interest supporting the TRO to halt the 23andMe data sale.”

How: Call the White House Comment Line at 202-456-1111.

Suggested message:

“I support Pamela Norton’s TRO in the 23andMe bankruptcy. Our genetic privacy and constitutional rights depend on this.”

Email or Tweet Key Judiciary Leaders

Senate Judiciary: Chair Dick Durbin → durbin@durbin.senate.gov

Ranking Member Chuck Grassley → grassley@grassley.senate.gov

House Judiciary: Chair Jerry Nadler → jerry.nadler@mail.house.gov

Ranking Member Jim Jordan → jim.jordan@mail.house.gov

Subject Line:

“Urgent: Protect Genetic Privacy—Support the TRO to Halt 23andMe Data Sale”

“On June 17, the court will decide whether to allow the sale of 15 million Americans’ genetic profiles at $17 each, violating Fourth, Fifth, and Thirteenth Amendment rights. Please file an amicus brief supporting Pamela Norton’s TRO.”

Spread the Word: Share this post on LinkedIn, X (Twitter), privacy-focused forums, and relevant mailing lists. Use hashtags: #GeneticPrivacy #StopTheSell #23andMeTRO #DigitalSovereignty

5. A Path Forward: The “Constitutional Vault”

If we win the TRO, that gives us time to build a secure, constitutional framework—what I call the Constitutional Vault:

Warrant-Enforced Access:

Hardware-backed decentralized digital asset vaults that require judicial sign-off before any search or transfer of genetic data.

Smart-Contract Compensation:

Automated smart contract royalty payments (70–85% of revenues) are directly made to coop data owners every time their data is used.

Immediate Revocation:

Individuals can withdraw consent at any time, locking their data behind impregnable cryptography.

Immutable Audit Trails:

Blockchain anchoring ensures every access request is recorded and publicly verifiable with zero-knowledge proofs. This is the only way to ensure genetic data remains our personal “effect”—never a corporate commodity.

6. Conclusion: This Is Our Last Chance

On June 17, a judge will decide whether 15 million Americans’ genomic legacies belong to us or become someone else’s product. We cannot let this sale go through. If the TRO fails, genetic privacy as we know it is effectively over.

Act Now:

Our constitutional rights are not negotiable. Thank you, Privacy Files readers, for standing with me in this fight. With your help, we can force the court to pause and protect our genetic sovereignty.

Pamela Norton

Founder, TitleChain & 23andMine, LLC

Pro Se Litigant, 23andMe Bankruptcy Case No. 25-40976

p_norton@titlechain.world

Read my full “Final Plea” here:

Final Plea