Gedmatch no longer accepting FTDNA kits

[josh w.]

At this point, I'd suggest AncestryDNA over 23andMe if you want to be able to upload your results to GEDmatch. Ancestry has as large or a larger database than 23andMe and is more amenable to the interests of genealogists. Also, if you have an Ancestry account, you'll have full access to the family trees of your matches.

Thanks for the advice. Beside the immediate issue, the only reason I would choose 23&me is for it's Jewish matches. I would go to Ancestry for other family members.

[prairielad]

If it is due to kit numbers and the ability to then search that kit number and locate in project, it is up to that user to ensure their privacy settings are set for the FTDNA project they are in.
One can not complain when the privacy settings are offered and one does not use them.

FTDNA privacy and sharing tab > who can view my DNA results in projects

Plus Gedmatch states in their policy

"GEDmatch purpose

GEDmatch exists to provide DNA and genealogy tools for comparison and research purposes. It is supported entirely by users, volunteers, and researchers. DNA and Genealogical research, by its very nature, requires the sharing of information. Because of that, it is expected that users participate in the site with the expectation that their information will be shared with other users.


Privacy

We ask that you provide real names for registration and data upload. In addition, you have the option of providing an alias for either login or data. If an alias has been provided, it will be displayed in place of the real name. If your DNA is linked to your genealogy, and only one or the other uses an alias, it may be possible for users to see the real name in the linked data.

In today's world, there are real dangers of identity theft, credit fraud, etc. We try to strike a balance between these realities and the need to share information with other users. In the end, if you require absolute privacy and security, we must ask that you do not upload your data to GEDmatch. If you already have it here, please delete it. "

[lslavens]

I have sort of a one-name study website for the variations of my surname, and I was about to launch an autosomal registry to aid people connecting across the various companies. No way I'm going to do that now, lest FTDNA threaten me with a lawsuit.

I've been autosomal tested at 23andMe (I was a beta), FTDNA, and at Ancestry when they put it on sale before Christmas. Results? One positive connection at 23andMe-- but we made that connection without sharing; we knew the connection from our surname lists. FTDNA-- no connections. Ancestry-- confirmation of a gggrandmother's parents, strong evidence for her parents' parents.

For me, I got my autosomal testing money's worth at only one of the three companies...

[Petra]

FTDNA, I will not allow that your company threatens Gedmatch to delete my kits!

You can avoid that sb. can combine name, email adress a.s.o., whilst you just avoid publishing kit numbers of your clients in public projects. I never understood, why this is necessary. The kit nr. should stay intern for your own identification of customers.

Before blaming other platforms/organizations, you should clean your own court. I was always a happy customer, but now I am really offended by your aggressive policies.

[lgmayka]

Could the privacy issue be Obama's new gender policy?

Here's an outside-the-box possibility.

Until recently, the biological male/female distinction was treated as an easily accessible public fact.

However (if I understand correctly), the federal government now fully buys into gender theory, according to which gender is a purely social construct with a wide variety of options. In contrast, the presence and/or number of X and Y chromosomes is now considered to be "sensitive private medical information." My understanding is that the federal government is threatening to sue any company that doesn't follow this rule; and that, moreover, any company that publicly disagrees with this rule is considered to have a "hostile work environment" (for transgenders etc.) and will be sued for that.

If so, and if Family Finder's raw data has any indication as to the presence and/or number of X or Y chromosomes, FTDNA would now have to explicitly warn the customer about the presence of this "sensitive private medical information." Needless to say, Gedmatch would be considered totally unacceptable because it has no published privacy policy (or terms & conditions) at all!

Here is the federal government's new Equal Opportunity policy, but I think that this "gender theory" applies all across the government now. Note that this is not the result of a new law passed by Congress, but of an executive "reinterpretation" of old laws already on the books.
---
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states, “All personnel actions affecting employees or applicants for employment . . . [in the Federal Government] . . . shall be made free from any discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” 42 U.S.C. §2000e-16(a). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is the agency charged with interpreting and enforcing Title VII in the Federal Government. The EEOC has recognized [i.e., reinterpreted] that Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination provides protections for persons who have been discriminated against based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
---

[mahgninnuc]

FTDNA already provides a way to find kit numbers

Although it takes a little work and is not possible for all kits, it can be done for many. In your Y DNA matches, the most distant known ancestor is listed if it has been provided. Also, in project results, although the kit owner's name is not listed, his most distant known ancestor is listed. In many cases, the specific wording is unique or the ancestor is the only one of that exact name and dates. With that information, one can see who that matches in their matches, and thereby have kit number, email and name of the tested individual.... Just saying!

[loobster]

On at least two occasions in the past Gedmatch was not accepting new Kits for quite a stretch. Folks weathered that.

I am fervently hoping Gedmatch and FTDNA can work things out, and this hiatus will end up being no more of a problem than those suspensions in uploading were.

I honestly cannot believe that FTDNA's ideal solution to this is for FTDNA Kits no longer to be able to upload to Gedmatch ever again. They are undoubtedly hoping to see whatever they consider to be a Privacy issue addressed and FTDNA Customers to be able to go back to using both FTDNA and Gedmatch.

FTDNA probably sees itself as protecting Privacy and having made a sensible, reasonable suggestion on how Gedmatch might ensure that -- given the skill with which FTDNA communicates with us let us hope that they can find someone with better communication skills to help them through this.

[loobster]

Although it takes a little work and is not possible for all kits, it can be done for many. In your Y DNA matches, the most distant known ancestor is listed if it has been provided. Also, in project results, although the kit owner's name is not listed, his most distant known ancestor is listed. In many cases, the specific wording is unique or the ancestor is the only one of that exact name and dates. With that information, one can see who that matches in their matches, and thereby have kit number, email and name of the tested individual.... Just saying!

That is why many of us make sure to not provide Most Distant Ancestor.

[josh w.]

and the 23and Me V4 chipset has some compatibility issues with the AncestryDNA and Family Finder tests.

In comparisons it might agree with the big segments, but it really misses when your look at smaller segments.

Jack

Thanks for the reminder. How does Gedmatch calculate that I have close 23&me matches.

[Frederator]

I think it's time for the grownups to step in. FTDNA has to admit to itself that it over-reacted and created a mess. That's step #1 to cleaning it all up.

There may or may not be a real "security issue" here. Chances are the lawyers are just making this worse, because that's how lawyers get paid.

In any event, even if there is, it's clear that FTDNA bears the brunt of the blame since their practice of dealing created the precedent. To make a big stink about it now just looks like they waited for Gedmatch to process thousands of kits so FTDNA could purposely put them in a bad position.

What FTDNA need to do is grow up, put ALL its cards on the table with Olsen and work out a path forward. No doubt it will require A LOT of work and expense on the part of Gedmatch, so FTDNA should do the right thing and chip in. It's clear that there is (WAS) a symbiotic relationship between the two organizations, so an eye-for-eye is only going to make everyone blind. No doubt it will be vastly cheaper to work with Olsen instead of against him.

But FTDNA's in the driver's seat here. They could make this better, or make this unimaginably worse. Up to them.

[prairielad]

Thanks for the reminder. How does Gedmatch calculate that I have close 23&me matches.

By imputation i believe

http://genomesunzipped.org/2013/03/learning-more-from-your-23andme-results-with-imputation.php

[Robertjm]

It's not just a number, it's also the FTDna User Name, so a person would only need to do a brute force attack, entering in that username with passwords, until they were able to get into the account.

As to what they could actually do when they get into the account? Good question. At best they'd be able to order new kits, which they'd have to pay for anyways.

This is what FTDna gets for not using a global username, and then filing the different kit numbers under the user name account, rather than having a different account for each kit by default.

And why would I care about kit number being public? It's just a number.

[Robertjm]

Dallas, Texas (Central Time)

... I don't know where customer support is based, but even west coast is now awake and working. ...

[BBA64]

Ancestry end-around?

So if one uploads their Ancestry results to gedmatch.com and then transfers their Ancestry results here. Doesn't that pretty much get around this ridiculous posturing?

With 23andMe making it ever more difficult to do genetic genealogy, Ancestry's zeal causing more trees to go private, and now this, it seems the promise of agnostic tools is getting shuttered over corporate matters.

I think it will ultimately diminish the industry as a whole. At the moment, some companies are seeing upticks in revenues, but that always precedes the impact of matters like these when folks get over the excitement and realize what is really happening.

I hope FTDNA resolves its squabble with Gedmatch. I enjoy their product. It is my preferable one when I can only test a single place now that another company has catastrophically destroyed their website.

[Robertjm]

But, just because you create a Gedmatch profile, doesn't mean you have already uploaded your file. As you've pointed out, the policy is then visible once logged in.

...One thing I wanted to point out regarding issue 4 in the face book post, apparently you can only see the terms of service for gedmatch after you log in. There is nothing posted on just gedmatch.com or on the registration page. Not trying to make excuses, was just hoping to clarify this one issue.

-Darren
Family Tree DNA