23andMe has stopped allowing third-party apps access to anonymized genomic data, Wired reports. Instead, it says some apps will still have access to data from the reports the company generates.
In 2012, 23andMe opened up its application programming interface so third-party developers could create apps based on customers' personal genome data. At the time, the company said those third parties would have to apply for access to show they were "real and identifiable."
But last month, the company announced it would be making changes to its API policy and said it would be restricting access to select apps, as GenomeWeb reported.
Wired says the move is in part to protect users' privacy, but also to remove apps with little scientific value. "While we have had some great API partners, there are others that do not meet our scientific standards and lack rigorous privacy policies," a 23andMe spokesperson tells Wired.
Concerns about privacy in consumer genetics has been on the rise. At the end of July, a number of consumer genetics companies, including 23andMe, adopted privacy standards covering when they would share customers' data with other companies or law enforcement.