We are disappointed that the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to advance the BIOSECURE Act without removing MGI and our subsidiary Complete Genomics from the bill.

As we have stressed repeatedly, MGI and Complete Genomics, as equipment vendors, do not have access to, collect, or maintain patient genetic data, and 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.

The bill cites protecting Americans’ genetic data as its purpose, but by incorrectly naming MGI it will result in eliminating competition and boosting the monopoly in the genomic sequencing market held by a U.S. company that has been advocating for the bill.

Baseless bills like this one, drafted under the guise of national security, are more likely to jeopardize global biosecurity by slowing the sector’s progress, stifling our innovation and making it harder for global companies to benefit from and share important medical breakthroughs. And less competition in the market will drive up costs for our industry and harm the people whose lives depend on research.

We respectfully urge U.S. Congress to remove MGI and our subsidiary Complete Genomics from the bill, and to take a genuine approach to protect data privacy that would apply to all companies, including the aforementioned dominant player that has been investing heavily in China.

MGI TECH

2024/09/10