3 weeks ago
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A DNA-testing company with alleged Russian links has vanished with highly sensitive data of its customers, according to a BBC report. The firm called Atlas Biomed, which has offices in London, used to provide insights into the genetic makeup of its customers as well as their predisposition to certain illnesses. But the company appears to have gone off-grid with customers left in the dark and worried about the security of their data which includes biometrics. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it was aware of the incident and confirmed it had received a complaint about the company's disappearance.
"People have the right to expect that organisations will handle their personal information securely and responsibly," it said in a statement.
Atlas Biomed's website is no longer active and the phone number listed is dead as well. The Instagram page, with over 11,000 followers, showed the last post dated March 2022.
"DO NOT ORDER - SCAM ALERT. They have not been active since June 2023. I ordered and sent off samples in July and still nothing, and have since found numerous accounts of people with the same issue. Their email address no longer works. No way to contact them," commented a netizen on the page.
The company's registered office is near London's Silicon Roundabout which is a prime location for tech firms. A company registration firm based in the building stated that Atlas Biomed was their client and had legitimately used the address. However, the firm refused to divulge further details about the missing DNA-testing company.
The Russian connection
The company may have disappeared but its links to Russia have emerged. Although registered with Companies House where all UK-based businesses are mandated to register, Biomed has not filed any accounts since December 2022. As of the last update, it had listed eight official positions, of which four had resigned.
Interestingly, two of the remaining officers had their address listed in Moscow, which matched with a Russian billionaire, who is described as a now-resigned director of Atlas Biomed.
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.
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Customers confused
Lisa Topping, a resident of Saffron Walden, Essex told the publication that she had sent her saliva sample to the company and paid $130 for a personalised genetic report. Although Ms Topping received her DNA profile and predisposition to certain diseases, she was not able to access the report online anymore, which she used to do from time to time.
"I don't know what someone else could do with [the data] but it's the most personal information... I don't know how comfortable I feel that they have just disappeared," Ms Topping said.
There is no explanation where Atlas Biomed's database of customer DNA has ended up. However, there is no evidence available so far that it is being misused.
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