Are you eligible for up to $10,000 from the 23andMe data breach settlement?

23andMe confirmed last month that it will settle a $30 million class action lawsuit accusing it of failing to adequately protect its users after a data breach exposed the personal information of about half of its user base and led to a dormant distrust of the popular ancestor service. That said, if you’ve ever done business with the company, you may be wondering if you’re eligible for a payout.

The San Francisco-based company, which allows users to submit genetic material and get a snapshot of their ancestry, announced in October 2023, it was reported that hackers had gained access to customer data through a data breach, but the company did not confirm the full extent of the incident until December. About half of the company’s 14 million users saw their personal data exposed in the breach, which first began in April 2023.

The lawsuit accusing the company of not doing enough to protect its customers was filed in January this year. The lawsuit also accused 23andMe of failing to notify certain customers of Chinese or Ashkenazi Jewish descent that their data had been specifically targeted and distributed on the dark web.

As part of the proposed settlement, which still requires preliminary court approval, the company will provide as much as $10,000 to eligible customers depending on the hardship they have suffered, as well as to various security services. In the wake of this ordeal, the independent directors of The company’s board resignedand concerns about 23andMe’s ability to keep people’s personal data became a trending topic.

“We have entered into a settlement agreement for a total cash payment of $30 million to resolve all U.S. claims related to the security incident in 2023,” a 23andMe spokesperson told CNET. “We continue to believe that this settlement is in the best interests of 23andMe’s customers, and we look forward to finalizing the agreement.”

Here’s what we know about 23andMe’s data settlement terms and what standards you need to meet to get money out of it. To learn more about recent settlements, learn how to do this claim money at CashApp And that is eligible for a broker’s fee settlement.

How many people were affected by the 23andMe data breach?

The settlement will cover approximately 6.9 million 23andMe users whose data was targeted in the breach. To qualify for the proposed settlement, 23andMe users must also have been U.S. residents as of August 11, 2023.

That 6.9 million number includes about 5.5 million users of 23andMe’s DNA Relatives profiles, which help users find and connect with genetic relatives. The other 1.4 million people affected by the breach used another service known as Family Tree, which predicts a family tree based on the DNA users share with relatives, 23andMe said.

How much money can you get as part of the settlement?

At the high end, 23andMe has said it will pay out up to $10,000 with an “extraordinary claim” to users who can verify that they suffered hardship as a direct result of their information being stolen in the data breach that resulted in unrefunded charges. This includes costs resulting from “identity fraud or falsified tax returns,” from purchasing physical security systems, or from receiving mental health care.

Residents of Alaska, California, Illinois and Oregon affected by the breach can also seek payment as part of the proposed settlement, as those states have genetic privacy laws with provisions on damages. Payments for these individuals are expected to be around $100, depending on how many people file for them, according to a settlement document.

Also, a smaller subset of affected users whose personal health information was affected by the breach will be able to request a $100 payment.

Infographic: Gianmarco Chumbe/CNET; Background image: Jason Doiy/Getty Images

Does the settlement include anything else?

In addition to these payments, 23andMe will also offer affected users a security monitoring service called Privacy Shield for three years, which the documents describe as “substantial web and dark web monitoring.”

Can you already request a settlement?

At this time it is not possible to request a payment as part of this proposed settlement. CNET will provide updates on this aspect of the story as they become available.

Read for more information this explanation of how class action lawsuits work.