Bartenderbonnie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 49177
posted
23andMe, Ancestry.com, lots of genetic companies to choose from, advertise what a great gift to give, fun and games for all.
Proceed with caution.
Your DNA is your FAMILY's jewels. It is not all about you. Value your family's privacy.
Did you/ will you ask all family members, mother, father, aunts, uncles, newphews, nieces, 1st cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins, ect for THEIR permission to have THEIR genetic code shared?
A lack of consent is a lack of privacy. Your genetic information implicates your biological relatives. There are no laws that restrict one on what they do with their own genetic information. Why should family members have acess to relative's DNA if they were not involved in consent.
There are many cases of 'genetic discrimination'. Individuals and family members have been barred / fired from employment, have lost their health / life insurance. Children have been kicked out if school. College students denied admissions. Some have been denied housing admission. Just because one may have a genetic marker, this is no guarantee of disease. http://www.councilforresponsiblegenetics.org/Projects/PastProject.aspx?projectId=1
Test results are released to third party such as pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, employers, government agencies, police departments, marketing firms, ect.
posted
I recently heard a 2-hour presentation from the communications director of 23andme.
It's true that they are using the research to make drugs. People opt in, not out, to having their data used for research.
But they are not violating anyone's privacy. They give no personal information and they aggregate the data - ie group it anonymously.
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