Ancestry DNA databases can be used to find you — even if you don’t sign up

[mala]

Ancestry DNA databases can be used to find you — even if you don’t sign up

So many people have now used the services that many of us don’t even need to share our own DNA to be tracked down. Your father — or perhaps a third cousin whom you’ve never even met — could have uploaded their data, which could lead to you. This is how police cracked the cold case of the “Golden State Killer” earlier this year: An old DNA sample from a crime scene matched with the DNA of the killer’s relatives in public databases, which, after some more sleuthing, led to him.

I'm not worried so much as the law enforcement or the government tracking you down aspect as I am about the private sector aspect.
A hypothetical future scenario where you are applying for a job or trying to get insurance and some company checks one of these online databases they've bought access to like they do to social media databases. Then even if you've never used them they do a database search and find your relatives that have histories of medical conditions. Now you might not have these conditions at all but that might not matter if the company does a risk assessment and it does not favour you.

 

[Hazelelponi]

My husband and I both did our DNA at ancestry and its not bad.

No one can see your private information or your family tree unless you give permission and they are also on ancestry - and giving those permissions is more difficult than you'd think.

If an employer searched ancestry they aren't going to see anything but a short public profile that doesn't give information unless you want it to.

And you can opt out of anything that might be iffy or bother you. My husband and I think it's a decent service..

 

[mala]

My husband and I both did our DNA at ancestry and its not bad.

No one can see your private information or your family tree unless you give permission and they are also on ancestry - and giving those permissions is more difficult than you'd think.

If an employer searched ancestry they aren't going to see anything but a short public profile that doesn't give information unless you want it to.

And you can opt out of anything that might be iffy or bother you. My husband and I think it's a decent service..

as i said this is entirely a hypothetical. and i simply don't trust companies to not sell data. especially those not bound exclusively by us law.

 

[Glass*Soul]

duplicate

 

[Glass*Soul]

My husband and I both did our DNA at ancestry and its not bad.

No one can see your private information or your family tree unless you give permission and they are also on ancestry - and giving those permissions is more difficult than you'd think.

If an employer searched ancestry they aren't going to see anything but a short public profile that doesn't give information unless you want it to.

And you can opt out of anything that might be iffy or bother you. My husband and I think it's a decent service..

Do they sell your data to third parties? Will they ever sell the data? Will they ever sell the company to someone who wants to use the data for something profitable, like selling it to potential employers, insurers, or spouses? Who already can access the data whether the company wants them to or not? The FBI? Hackers?