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Some people submit their DNA but switch up their gender so as to theoretically nullify the results for a potential future data breach. (Insurance providers bein

Some people submit their DNA but switch up their gender so as to theoretically nullify the results for a potential future data breach. (Insurance providers being one concern here.) Does anyone know if/how 23andme addresses this, or do they care?

pavel_lishin 9y ago
That... seems like literally the easiest thing to correct based on a genetic sample.
subcosmos 9y ago
Switching the gender would be an ill-advised way to be anonymous. Its easily determined from the raw data itself, based on the presence of Y-chromosome SNPs. I have heard that some people prefer to use fake names, emails, prepaid credit cards, and use a PO box or some other mailing relay to mask their home address. I'm not sure if 23andMe cares about anonymous users, but they might care about survey results being faked in a large number of users, because that would affect their scientific mission of finding interesting patterns.
- toomuchtodo 9y ago
  They do indeed care. My brother and I submitted a sample from my dying mother, which they were unable to process properly. We were offered a replacement kit, but at that point our mother had already passed away. When I conveyed this to 23andme, they refunded our kit cost and removed our mother's pending profile from my 23andme account. From their email: "Unfortunately it is not possible for us to unregister a kit after an initial sample fails analysis. Replacement kits are automatically registered to the individual the original kit was registered to, and they retain personal registration information including name, birthdate, and legal consent to our Terms of Service and research document. If we allow someone else to use the replacement kit, the sample would not be associated with their personal information. Additionally that person would not agree to our Terms of Service and provide legal consent for us to process their sample. For privacy and legal reasons, a replacement kit cannot be used by another individual."
  - subcosmos 9y ago
    I think this is a different circumstance however. It sounds like the issue here was primarily based on obtaining proper consent from the individual being tested, which isn't the same as anonymity. Check this out though. It seems as if their official stance is they do want your real name, but permit pseudonyms when conversing online. Interesting. https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/202907890-Can-I-be-genotyped-anonymously- https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/202907890...
    - toomuchtodo 9y ago
      > It seems as if their official stance is they do want your real name Its because they're selling the data to pharma companies. They have a vested interest in the data being accurate. https://www.google.com/search?q=23andme+sell+data https://www.google.com/search?q=23andme+sell+data

pavel_lishin 9y ago

That... seems like literally the easiest thing to correct based on a genetic sample.

subcosmos 9y ago

Switching the gender would be an ill-advised way to be anonymous. Its easily determined from the raw data itself, based on the presence of Y-chromosome SNPs. I have heard that some people prefer to use fake names, emails, prepaid credit cards, and use a PO box or some other mailing relay to mask their home address. I'm not sure if 23andMe cares about anonymous users, but they might care about survey results being faked in a large number of users, because that would affect their scientific mission of finding interesting patterns.

toomuchtodo 9y ago
They do indeed care. My brother and I submitted a sample from my dying mother, which they were unable to process properly. We were offered a replacement kit, but at that point our mother had already passed away. When I conveyed this to 23andme, they refunded our kit cost and removed our mother's pending profile from my 23andme account. From their email: "Unfortunately it is not possible for us to unregister a kit after an initial sample fails analysis. Replacement kits are automatically registered to the individual the original kit was registered to, and they retain personal registration information including name, birthdate, and legal consent to our Terms of Service and research document. If we allow someone else to use the replacement kit, the sample would not be associated with their personal information. Additionally that person would not agree to our Terms of Service and provide legal consent for us to process their sample. For privacy and legal reasons, a replacement kit cannot be used by another individual."
- subcosmos 9y ago
  I think this is a different circumstance however. It sounds like the issue here was primarily based on obtaining proper consent from the individual being tested, which isn't the same as anonymity. Check this out though. It seems as if their official stance is they do want your real name, but permit pseudonyms when conversing online. Interesting. https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/202907890-Can-I-be-genotyped-anonymously- https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/202907890...
  - toomuchtodo 9y ago
    > It seems as if their official stance is they do want your real name Its because they're selling the data to pharma companies. They have a vested interest in the data being accurate. https://www.google.com/search?q=23andme+sell+data https://www.google.com/search?q=23andme+sell+data