We are disappointed that the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability has voted to advance the BIOSECURE Act without removing MGI and our subsidiary Complete Genomics, from the bill. While there is still time for the bill to be amended and the effective date has been extended, neither MGI nor Complete Genomics should have ever been named in the BIOSECURE Act.
As we have stressed repeatedly, MGI and Complete Genomics do not have access to, collect, or maintain the genetic data of patients; our customers retain full control over any data they generate. In fact, former FBI cybersecurity experts at FTI Consulting have validated the security of our technology and concluded it did not have any vulnerabilities nor capability to transmit data. In addition, despite repeated false claims, MGI and Complete Genomics are not controlled by any Chinese government entity and are no longer subsidiaries of BGI, and BGI has no direct investment in MGI. MGI and Complete Genomics are separate companies from BGI, with their own management, employees and assets.
Instead of continuing to push misguided efforts that target individual companies that do not collect or maintain personal DNA data, putting critical health care and food productivity research at risk, we call on U.S. Congress to spend their limited time on a uniform approach to data privacy that would apply common standards to all companies with access to personal DNA data.
