23andMe told to cease and desist by California Department of Public Health

Not a good week for the Wojcicki family. Googler Susan Wojcicki has been caught making expensive demands on Google's daycare facilities. Meanwhile, her sister Anne, wife of Google cofounder Sergey Brin, is fending off cease-and-desist letters from pesky health regulators. Anne's company, Google-backed 23andMe, was told to stop offering the tests until officials could complete an investigation into whether sales to California residents were by doctor's orders, as required by state law. The genetics startup risks fines of up to $3,000 a day if it doesn't comply.

Seeing as how 23andMe gave a free test to California resident Michael Arrington, that some doctors are skeptical of the medical value of such tests, and that the company freely admits that the tests are for novelty purposes only, I'm guessing the consumer complaints over accuracy and cost that prompted the investigation aren't wholly without merit. Twelve other companies, including San Francisco's Navigenics, are also being investigated. (Photo by Sergio Calleja)