3 ms·

What are the privacy concerns with 23AndMe? Curious as I'm a user.

• chatmasta 9y ago
  They're literally storing, sequencing, and analyzing your DNA. What do you think the privacy concerns are? Most likely, the biggest cost of using 23andme is not evident yet. But as some others have touched on, I could easily see it becoming a prerequisite for health insurance in the near future. Do you really want to give up this data now, without any idea the impact it may have on your financial situation in 10 years? Obviously there's no right answer to that question but it's worth considering.
  • DKnoll 9y ago
    I meant as compared to other providers, which is what he seemed to suggest. Also my government provides health insurance.
    • tedmiston 9y ago
      Things are messier in the US where insurance is tied to an employer, and employers can implement arbitrary "optional" measures like requiring you to be a non-smoker or very strongly encouraging you to take a biometric screening so that you can "elect" to participate in their insurance plan. If you don't elect to, insurance options outside that through the exchange (healthcare.gov) are not great and often very expensive. It's a complicated subject here. As far as the DNA sequencers, I haven't heard of any sharing their data with insurance companies today but I also haven't read their privacy policies closely to see what they could do. If 23andMe has the option to give you a copy without retaining any that might be the safest option here.