How safe and secure are our DNA test results?

[jah]

Also, it's important to realize that very soon it will be economically feasible to do mass *entire* genome scanning. It seems quite likely it will be possible to get even more ancestral data from one's full complement of DNA than is available with the current abbreviated scans, but what will happen with security concerns? Familiarity with the important areas noted above will light the way.

[jah]

I already shared my 23andme raw data with Dr. Doug McDonald...And to Davidski/Polako/David W. of Eurogenes Project for BGA percentages. Raw data is not made public. But who knows who may privately get access to my raw data, and what it will be used for in the future.

In tracking and using the science of DNA scanning and interpretation for disease proclivities, prevention & treatment, and for ancestry, I think it's important for all consumers, those in health care provision/research and those not, to get acquainted with some essential areas:

1. basic genetics
2. the basic science behind DNA scanning
3. governmental regulation of DNA information, in the major economies and/or knowledge centers of the world
4. history and present state of scientific studies in population groups (unfortunately, this includes historical eugenics "science")
5. understanding of computer science trends (eg, Moore's law)
6. understanding of business trends

The more one knows about how DNA data is obtained and can be computationally manipulated, how it is stored and how "healthy" the companies are that are the current biggest depositories of it, the more empowered one will likely be to not only safeguard their data, but also get the maximum available use of it.

[T E Peterman]

I think it is plausible that someday y-DNA results might be used to identify a suspect's surname, especially if DNA was linked to the scene of a crime & the detectives had no other info to go on. But y-DNA could not be used to prove the suspect's exact identity or guilt. There will likely be hundreds or thousands of other men out there with the same surname who match at 66/67 or better.

Timothy Peterman

[rainbow]

True, FTDNA doesn't provide information about the autosomal SNPs, but some of the remaining SNPs are covered by a 3rd party tool, Promethease:

http://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Promethease

People should be aware of that before sharing their raw data (mtDNA full sequence data, too).

I already shared my 23andme raw data with Dr. Doug McDonald, for his interpretation of my BGA percentages. And to Davidski/Polako/David W. of Eurogenes Project for BGA percentages. Raw data is not made public. But who knows who may privately get access to my raw data, and what it will be used for in the future.
And I gave my MTDNA FGS to Genbank, which is public for all to see. I have two reasons for doing that: 1) I have no FGS matches. I read somewhere that new subclades can be created. I hope my mtdna will be made into a new subclade someday. 2) I am the last known mtdna descendant of my GGGG Grandmother and want it preserved, some record that my line existed.

[ragnar]

Paranoia example I recently had to deal with: I bought the mtdna test for a relative over a year ago. I knew she hadn't sent the kit in. I remind her of it every once in a while. Recently, ftdna sent me an email asking me if the dog ate the kit & other scenarios. I was on the phone with her a few days ago & told her that ftdna had emailed me & asked if the dog ate the kit. Immediately she exclaimed.."I knew it! They are investigating you! How did they know you have a dog!" I said, " It was a joke! They don't know I have a dog! They were joking about wondering why the kit hadn't been sent in! They went on to list other possiblities about why the kit hadn't been returned to them!" Her response: "Oh". (This is a person with a Masters degree.)

[Ann Turner]

In the case of FTDNA, all tests they offer, except one, have no results with medical implications that are reported. The testing of yDNA (both STRs and SNPs), xDNA (STRs) and the HVR1/HVR2 regions of mtDNA does not involve anything that relates to medical conditions.

The one exception is the Full Genome Sequence of mtDNA. Since the coding region is included in the test, there are some results that may point to a medical problem. In the case of Family Finder, FTDNA does test for autosomal SNPs that may have medical implications. However, in order to avoid future restrictions by the FDA or other government agencies, FTDNA scrubs those results from the data that customers get and provides no information about the any medical conditions associated with the results.

True, FTDNA doesn't provide information about the autosomal SNPs, but some of the remaining SNPs are covered by a 3rd party tool, Promethease:

http://www.snpedia.com/index.php/Promethease

People should be aware of that before sharing their raw data (mtDNA full sequence data, too).

[MMaddi]

Insurgence companies would love to be privy to these results as they like insuring people who never get sick. Sure this practice may be illegal today. But a new election could always change that.

In the case of FTDNA, all tests they offer, except one, have no results with medical implications that are reported. The testing of yDNA (both STRs and SNPs), xDNA (STRs) and the HVR1/HVR2 regions of mtDNA does not involve anything that relates to medical conditions.

The one exception is the Full Genome Sequence of mtDNA. Since the coding region is included in the test, there are some results that may point to a medical problem. In the case of Family Finder, FTDNA does test for autosomal SNPs that may have medical implications. However, in order to avoid future restrictions by the FDA or other government agencies, FTDNA scrubs those results from the data that customers get and provides no information about the any medical conditions associated with the results.

[twang]

DNA results from one of these sites doesn't really use the same methods utilized by law enforcement.

Who's test is more thorough?

I don't have any problem with DNA testing helping to catch criminals. I'd like to see them all caught. The police have a lot of rape kits that haven't been tested yet. I think funds should be given for the testing of these kits. It would cut down on more crimes being committed. I guess my question should have been how confidential are the test results? Who are privy to them? Insurgence companies would love to be privy to these results as they like insuring people who never get sick. Sure this practice may be illegal today. But a new election could always change that.

[twang]

Paranoia

Only the paranoid will survive.

[ragnar]

Paranoia

[Daniel72]

But law enforcement uses crazy things like ear prints etc anything they can find.

Yeah. There had been a case in wich a killer send a printed "google maps", map to the police, where they shall look for the corpse.

The police went to Google and asked them, what people ever zoomed this part of the map to this level. They gave em the IPs and together with the internetproviders they found the guy. When the police found him he said: "F... internet!"

Of course they also checked if the map was printed with exactly his printer (wich seemed to be) and checked his DNA against the DNA found at the corpse too.

[rainbow]

Good vs Evil in science.

From the second link:
"The DNA sequencing work by several of the microbiologists is aimed at developing drugs that will fight pathogens based on the pathogen's genetic profile. The work is also aimed at eventually developing drugs that will work in cooperation with a person's genetic makeup.
The entire process can also be turned around to develop a pathogen that will affect a broad class of people sharing a genetic marker."

There are over 200 dead and missing microbiologists.

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message777280/pg1

http://www.thebigstinkguide.com/archives/micro.htm

http://www.rense.com/general18/five.htm

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/scientists.htm

[Kit-189387]

There was a recent case where a murder suspect's dna was used on one of these sites, to give law enforcement his most likely surname and also geographic location. They then found a suspect with that surname, in that geographic area, who had priors for a similar crime. The genealogy was only used to locate him and bring him in for questioning, of course they had enough other evidence to convict him. So don't think law enforcement can't use genealogy to locate criminals. They would never have caught this guy without clues like his name and geographical location, even though the genealogy dta was insuffucient to convict him.
But it is true that information on CODIS is the information used for paternity tests.
But law enforcement uses crazy things like ear prints etc anything they can find.

[rainbow]

There are over 200 dead and missing microbiologists.

http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message777280/pg1

http://www.thebigstinkguide.com/archives/micro.htm

http://www.rense.com/general18/five.htm

http://www.apfn.org/apfn/scientists.htm

[Daniel72]

Has anyone mentioned the geneticists who put their own autosomal raw data (similiar to Family Finder data) for public download with full names, backgrounds and all?

Seems like they dont have qualms about it, even, as "experts" they should know what can be done with it and what not.

Here you can get their data:

http://www.genomesunzipped.org/data