8 ms·

That is why I will NOT do ancestry.com's DNA testing kit. I fear WHO will get that information and WHAT they will do with it in the future. Maybe when I get old

by X86BSD 9y ago

That is why I will NOT do ancestry.com's DNA testing kit. I fear WHO will get that information and WHAT they will do with it in the future. Maybe when I get older an insurance company will deny me health coverage because I showed a genetic marker for cancer or heart disease or ... Let alone what government agencies may have access to this stuff. I want to find out where I am from but not at the expense of privacy. This stuff freaks me out and people are just like "la dee dah here is my DNA". blink

Danihan 9y ago
It's easy to get someone's DNA though. Strand of hair, etc.
- idointernet 9y ago
  There's a big difference in obtaining someone's hair vs people paying to give you their dna.
- sriram_sun 9y ago
  Physical access vs. Internet access - two very different things.
- saghm 9y ago
  I have trouble thinking that even the most monopolistic of companies today would put in the effort to collect the DNA of literally everybody by finding strands of hair or the like. If you you send it to them, though, that's another story.
  - alphonsegaston 9y ago
    Google drove cars taking pictures of every street around the world and even sent people with camera backpacks up mountains and the like. It's not hard to imagine them doing something similar with DNA, beginning in public spaces like restaurants and coffee shops, before pursuing further out nodes on the graph.
    - petraeus 9y ago
      Streetview information is public, your dna is not, google would get sued out into oblivion if they did this.
      - sratner 9y ago
        Aren't the hair strands and fingerprints you leave on public surfaces also public, just like any part of your private property that happens to be visible from the street?
ethbro 9y ago
You're not alone. I refuse to 23&me for the same reason. I looked into private sequencing, but decided to wait a few years until there were more companies in the market and the price came down. I believe at the time (a year ago?) it was USD$2-10k.
- eridius 9y ago
  23andMe says they don't sell your data. > We will not sell, lease, or rent your individual-level information (i.e., information about a single individual's genotypes, diseases or other traits/characteristics) to any third-party or to a third-party for research purposes without your explicit consent. (https://www.23andme.com/about/privacy/ https://www.23andme.com/about/privacy/) I would really hope other sites like ancestry.com have the same policy.
  - Analemma_ 9y ago
    The thing is, if 23andMe ever goes bankrupt and/or gets sold to another company, that privacy policy won't mean squat. This isn't a theoretical concern either: data aggregators like Experian are constantly vacuuming up the corpses of failed startups for their data. Considering that once your generic profile is compromised, it's forever (not just for you, but for all your relatives and descendants) and there's nothing you can do, do you want to risk that 23andMe will exist, with no management changes that might undo the policy, indefinitely?
    - remline 9y ago
      Yes, I think RadioShack is probably the most famous example for sceptics. The US legal system really is that bad.
  - ethbro 9y ago
    Although Analemma_'s concerns of post-company sales are also on my mind, my major concern is alignment of interests. Similar to Google, 23&me as a viable business operation is predicated on monetizing genetic information. They're performing testing at a loss in order to collect as much as possible. Consequently, whatever their policy may be, I have little faith they'll make a privacy-centric decision for me as an individual when faced with a business choice. Their valuation essentially depends on their not doing so!
jjeaff 9y ago
I actually did 23&me but I didn't use my real name. Paid with a prepaid card. They don't actually verify your personal identity, so at least there is that possibility. Although, I'm sure if they tried, they could figure out who I am through connections of others and public records, they don't seem dead set on collecting personal details about me (unlike Facebook). I am still curious how Facebook asks my friends details about me. If I chose not to share it, don't ask my dumb aquantances who will give up every detail they know about me.
losteverything 9y ago
Wrt dna testing, my feeling is this: I don't want to be a voyeur of my families past, i want to be its friend. I wont ever give my dna simply because i want to keep family secrets secret. To honor their wishes. One of the worst cases is you find out your father isn't your father. Or gf or ggf etc.. This article [1] is an example. Family secrets should be kept secret. I can imagine matching dna to pregnancy terminations. Just don't submit your dna at all. [1] http://goo.gl/8RMztZ http://goo.gl/8RMztZ

by X86BSD 9y ago

Danihan 9y ago

It's easy to get someone's DNA though. Strand of hair, etc.

idointernet 9y ago
There's a big difference in obtaining someone's hair vs people paying to give you their dna.
sriram_sun 9y ago
Physical access vs. Internet access - two very different things.
saghm 9y ago
I have trouble thinking that even the most monopolistic of companies today would put in the effort to collect the DNA of literally everybody by finding strands of hair or the like. If you you send it to them, though, that's another story.
- alphonsegaston 9y ago
  Google drove cars taking pictures of every street around the world and even sent people with camera backpacks up mountains and the like. It's not hard to imagine them doing something similar with DNA, beginning in public spaces like restaurants and coffee shops, before pursuing further out nodes on the graph.
  - petraeus 9y ago
    Streetview information is public, your dna is not, google would get sued out into oblivion if they did this.
    - sratner 9y ago
      Aren't the hair strands and fingerprints you leave on public surfaces also public, just like any part of your private property that happens to be visible from the street?

ethbro 9y ago

You're not alone. I refuse to 23&me for the same reason. I looked into private sequencing, but decided to wait a few years until there were more companies in the market and the price came down. I believe at the time (a year ago?) it was USD$2-10k.

eridius 9y ago
23andMe says they don't sell your data. > We will not sell, lease, or rent your individual-level information (i.e., information about a single individual's genotypes, diseases or other traits/characteristics) to any third-party or to a third-party for research purposes without your explicit consent. (https://www.23andme.com/about/privacy/ https://www.23andme.com/about/privacy/) I would really hope other sites like ancestry.com have the same policy.
- Analemma_ 9y ago
  The thing is, if 23andMe ever goes bankrupt and/or gets sold to another company, that privacy policy won't mean squat. This isn't a theoretical concern either: data aggregators like Experian are constantly vacuuming up the corpses of failed startups for their data. Considering that once your generic profile is compromised, it's forever (not just for you, but for all your relatives and descendants) and there's nothing you can do, do you want to risk that 23andMe will exist, with no management changes that might undo the policy, indefinitely?
  - remline 9y ago
    Yes, I think RadioShack is probably the most famous example for sceptics. The US legal system really is that bad.
- ethbro 9y ago
  Although Analemma_'s concerns of post-company sales are also on my mind, my major concern is alignment of interests. Similar to Google, 23&me as a viable business operation is predicated on monetizing genetic information. They're performing testing at a loss in order to collect as much as possible. Consequently, whatever their policy may be, I have little faith they'll make a privacy-centric decision for me as an individual when faced with a business choice. Their valuation essentially depends on their not doing so!

jjeaff 9y ago

I actually did 23&me but I didn't use my real name. Paid with a prepaid card. They don't actually verify your personal identity, so at least there is that possibility. Although, I'm sure if they tried, they could figure out who I am through connections of others and public records, they don't seem dead set on collecting personal details about me (unlike Facebook). I am still curious how Facebook asks my friends details about me. If I chose not to share it, don't ask my dumb aquantances who will give up every detail they know about me.

losteverything 9y ago

Wrt dna testing, my feeling is this: I don't want to be a voyeur of my families past, i want to be its friend. I wont ever give my dna simply because i want to keep family secrets secret. To honor their wishes. One of the worst cases is you find out your father isn't your father. Or gf or ggf etc.. This article [1] is an example. Family secrets should be kept secret. I can imagine matching dna to pregnancy terminations. Just don't submit your dna at all. [1] http://goo.gl/8RMztZ http://goo.gl/8RMztZ