Wyoming lawmakers really don’t want anyone’s DNA data sold to foreign countries or used for internet cookies without consent. Those are just two features of a bill now contemplated in the House of Representatives, House Bill 86, which this week cleared both its introduction and a Judiciary Committee review with unanimous approval.

HB 86 is aimed at companies such as Ancestry.com and 23 And Me, which map human DNA to trace family origins or track health issues.

If the bill becomes law, it would compel DNA-mapping sites to provide a “clear and complete” rundown of privacy policies to the consumer, to inform the consumer about DNA data use and storage, and to get consent for those policies. The companies also would have to seek “separate express consent” to keep biological samples, to target consumers for marketing based on their genetic data or to let other companies use the genetic data for marketing.

The companies would need to “require valid legal processes” for giving someone’s genetic data over to law enforcement without “express written consent.”

You can read more details in an article by Clair McFarland published in the Cowboy State Daily web site at: https://bit.ly/3toyD6H.