Rhode Island Enacts Genetic Privacy Law
Rhode Island has enacted S 2203, a law regulating direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies, making it the fifth state to pass genetic privacy legislation this year, following Utah, South Dakota, and others.
Why this matters: Genetic data is not like a password you can reset. It identifies you permanently, it identifies your relatives whether they consented or not, and it can affect insurance, employment, and law enforcement in ways most people do not anticipate when they spit in a tube for a ancestry kit. States are moving on this because federal law has not kept up. Each new state law matters, but a patchwork also means your protections depend on where you live, not on how sensitive the data is.
Who should care: Lawyers · Compliance · General readers · Privacy officers · Policy
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