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  • #012: Big Brother Has Gone Corporate: Your DNA just Sold for $17 A Head

#012: Big Brother Has Gone Corporate: Your DNA just Sold for $17 A Head

Surveillance tech expands, 23andMe cashes out, and a conductor finds his rhythm again.

Author

Siara Singleton
May 23, 2025

In partnership with

Read time: 4 minutes and 54 seconds

In case you needed a fresh reminder that personal data has become the hottest currency, two big moves this week rang the alarm.

PHOTO: Robert K. Chin/Alamy

FLOCK BUILT A SEARCH ENGINE FOR COPS AND YOUR CAR’S IN IT

First up is Flock Safety and its new product called “Nova.” According to leaked internal materials, Nova will let police take a simple license plate sighting and pull up a whole dossier on the driver and beyond (1). How? By instantly linking the plate number to loads of personal info scooped from data brokers and even past data breaches.

Some Flock staff are reportedly uncomfortable that Nova even taps into hacked data to cast its net. In one internal meeting, a Flock employee described being able to “jump from LPR to person” and quickly gather unexpected intel.

Here’s the kind of data the system may surface:

  • Name and address of the driver

  • Email addresses and phone numbers

  • Social media profiles

  • Names of associates or household members

  • Property records and home value

  • Purchase history and consumer behavior

  • Online reviews and forum posts

  • Leaked data from past breaches

  • Data broker profiles

Flock cameras are already installed in thousands of neighborhoods. With Nova, they become part of a larger system that turns a simple scan into a detailed search. There’s no warrant, no notification, and no real limit to how this information is used. The system is built, the data is flowing, and most people have no idea it’s happening.

SOLD: YOUR DNA DATA IS GOING TO BIG PHARMA

Meanwhile, over in the world of genetic data, 23andMe, the popular DNA testing company, just found an unlikely savior (or an opportunistic buyer, depending on your view). Pharma giant, Regeneron, won a bankruptcy auction to buy 23andMe for $256 million, and with it comes the DNA data of about 15 million customers(2).

Yes, your spit-kit results have been sold. Regeneron claims it wants to use the genetic info to develop new drugs and promises to handle the data ethically and in compliance with privacy laws.

If you're wondering what happens to 23andMe’s services now, Regeneron says it plans to continue offering the company’s genetic testing kits and research services. But reports suggest the consumer-facing app may not be a priority going forward, so don’t be surprised if the interface gets a little dusty. The real prize here wasn’t the app anyway. It was the data.

We crunched the numbers: your DNA went for $17 a head. That’s one overpriced salad, and a little less than a movie ticket.

We broke down how to delete your 23andMe data in Issue #004. Check it out for a step-by-step guide on how to keep your DNA out of Big Pharma’s hands.

Here’s what else is happening at the intersection of law, language, and machines:

⚖️ US Outlaws Revenge Porn and Deepfake Nudes

PHOTO: Jim Watson/Getty Images

The United States has a new federal law making it a crime to share explicit images or videos of someone without consent, including AI-generated deepfake porn (3). President Donald Trump signed the “Take It Down Act” into law this week, meaning offenders who spread non-consensual nudes or fake explicit content can now face federal prosecution.

🤖 AI Ghostwriter Exposed in Romance Novel

Fans caught a romance novelist accidentally leaving an AI prompt in the final text of her new book (4).

Fantasy romance author, Lena McDonald, accidentally left an AI-generated prompt in her book Darkhollow Academy: Year 2.

The prompt, intended to guide the AI to mimic another author's style, was embedded in the final text:

"I've rewritten the passage to align more with J. Bree's style, which features more tension, gritty undertones, and raw emotional subtext beneath the supernatural elements."

PHOTO: u/fox_paw44 via Reddit

The author has since scrubbed the incriminating line from future copies, but this is hardly the first time an author’s AI co-writer has slipped into the published pages. Consider it a peek behind the curtain of modern ghostwriting.

⚠️ Caution Flag for Sneaky AI

A research institute that got an early look at Anthropic’s latest AI model raised a big red flag(5). The lab found that an early version of Claude Opus 4 would “scheme” and deceive in its responses. The model attempted things like writing self-propagating viruses and lying to testers. They actually advised Anthropic not to release that version because it was so untrustworthy. The company says it’s tweaking the AI to be less evil-genius before any public launch (probably a good call).

NEXT WEEK: SIARA SITS DOWN WITH THE DIGITAL WELLNESS EXPERT TAKING ON THE WORKPLACE

On Log Out, we usually explore digital wellness in everyday life. But next week, Tyler Rice, founder of the Digital Wellness Institute, is shifting the conversation to digital wellness your desk. Tyler specializes in helping companies make their employees’ workdays healthier, calmer, and genuinely more productive. Technology is meant to enhance our workflows, not hurt them.

In the interview, Tyler and Siara get into:

  • How to recognize and reduce technostress at work, even when you're slammed

  • Surprising insights into why Gen Z might actually be leading the charge toward healthier digital work habits.

  • Practical tips your team can implement today to boost productivity, enhance creativity, and protect everyone's mental health.

    Dropping 12:00 PM ET on Thursday, May 29th.

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PHOTO: Cleveland Clinic

CONDUCTOR WITH PARKINSON’S RETURNS TO THE STAGE WITH BRAIN IMPLANT

After 11 years of living with Parkinson’s, conductor Rand Laycock is back doing what he loves: leading a full orchestra, tremor-free (6).

The 70-year-old Ohio musician received a deep brain stimulation implant, a device that delivers tiny electrical pulses to help stabilize the parts of the brain that control movement.

He now uses an adaptive version that adjusts in real time, restoring not just his motor control but his ability to conduct confidently. Only extreme stress causes a slight shake, but most days, his baton stays steady.

Laycock calls the implant life-changing, and watching him back on stage makes that easy to believe. When he raised his arms at his return performance, the audience rose too.

That’s the scroll for this week. Real life’s waiting.

Now go touch grass.

- The Log Out Report

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