I gave my DNA tracking company
Kate Lake
Kate Lake wants answers about what happened to her money and data
A DNA-testing firm appears to have ceased trading – without telling its customers what has happened to the highly sensitive data they shared with it.
Atlas Biomed, which has offices in London, offered to provide insights into people’s genetic make up as well as their predisposition to certain illnesses.
However, users are no longer able to access their personalised reports online and the company has not responded to the BBC’s requests for comment.
Customers of the firm describe the situation as “very alarming” and say they want answers about what has happened to their “most personal information”.
The regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has confirmed it has received a complaint about Atlas Biomed.
“People have the right to expect that organisations will handle their personal information securely and responsibly,” it said in a statement.
Experts say it shows how users of DNA-testing services can find themselves “completely at the mercy” of such companies when it comes to protecting very sensitive data.
Disappearing DNA reports
Lisa Topping, from Saffron Walden, Essex, sent a saliva sample to Atlas Biomed several years ago, paying around PS100 for a personalised genetic report.
As well as telling her about her DNA profile, it claimed to also inform her about her predisposition to diseases and even injuries, taking into account information she had provided in an accompanying questionnaire. She could check her report on the internet, which she did periodically. But one day, it disappeared Kate Lake, from Tonbridge in Kent, paid Atlas Biomed PS139 (£139) for It promised her a full refund, but then disappeared, despite the fact that she tried to “What happened to the information that they’ve gotten?”
The company’s phone number is no longer active. Atlas Biomed was not present at the BBC’s London offices. The firm’s last post on X occurred in August of the same year. It shared a Facebook post in June 2023 but didn’t respond to any comments. People
Facebook[the data]Concerned users have taken to the company’s Facebook page
Russia links
The apparent disappearance of Atlas Biomed is a mystery – but it appears to have links with Russia.
It is still listed as an active company with Companies House, where all UK-based businesses must register. It hasn’t filed accounts since December 2022, but it still lists eight positions. Four
Two of the apparently remaining officers are listed at the same address in Moscow – as is a Russian billionaire, who is described as a now resigned director.
Atlas Biomed’s registered office is near London’s so-called Silicon Roundabout, one of the prime locations in the UK for tech firms.
When the BBC visited, there was no sign of Atlas Biomed itself, but a company registration firm based in the building confirmed that it was a client of theirs, and legitimately used the address as its own.
The central London office where the company is registered
This firm, in an email, claimed that it could not put the BBC in touch with Atlas Biomed “for security purposes”.
“We highly suggest that you contact them directly,” it said.
No-one from Atlas Biomed has responded to the BBC’s attempts to contact it.
Cybersecurity expert Prof Alan Woodward said the apparent links to Russia were “odd. The BBC was told that if people were aware of the company’s history and operations, they The DNA is unique, it can’t be changed, and it shows your biological strengths and weaknesses “When you give data to a business, you’re at their mercy. You have to “We shouldn’t have to wait until something happens.
