Can Genetic Testing Be Used Against You?

The question is not “can genetic testing be used against you”, it’s “when will it be used against you”. 

 

You see, it’s just a matter of time before your genetic information will be up for grabs. Whether that happens legally or by the brute force of criminal actions is anyone’s guess. The reality of the situation is when you take a DNA test you’re making your genetic information available for anyone who will pay the highest dollar for it. 

 

Companies like 23andme and AncestryDNA do what’s best for their shareholders, not you. As soon as you submit your samples to these companies, you’ve as good as signed away your rights to your DNA. 

 

It should make your skin crawl that your name could end up on a database that can be sorted by your ethnicity or genetic disease. If history has taught us anything, it’s that that information NEEDS to remain anonymous. 

 

In case you slept through History 101, authoritarian governments have persecuted different ethnic groups based on their perceived differences, which boils down to DNA. The current US administration even wants to start collecting the DNA of migrant workers. 

 

Read on to learn a few more reasons not to purchase a DNA test from a company that doesn’t keep your information private. 

 

Oh Me, Oh My, What Someone Can Do With Your DNA

 

As if this wasn’t scary enough, the list below gives you even more to think about what could happen if you take a DNA test

 

  • Law enforcement wants your info – AncestryDNA will release your information to law enforcement if they receive a subpoena or a request from a grand jury. 

 

  • It can be stolen by a hacker – Do you think a hacker can’t get your information if they wanted it? Remember, Jeff Bezos’s phone just got hacked. How much longer will it be before ancestry.com is hacked? Not sure? 

 

  • Ethnic nationalists love these tests – They are really into their results and spend long hours talking about them on racist websites. How long do you think it will be until they want to know about the results of others?

 

  • Life and disability insurance – Genetic discrimination laws do not protect when you are purchasing life insurance or disability insurance. And, please remember, laws change all the time. We simply do not know if health insurance will continue to be protected. Do you want to gamble with your health? 

 

  • No job for you – The Pentagon is advising military personnel to stay away from Ancestry.com with a 10 foot pole. Their reasoning is perfectly logical. They are concerned that the information learned from these DNA tests can limit the career potential of their service people. What’s good enough for the military, should be good enough for you. 

 

  • Your family – You are putting your family at risk for all of the above just to satisfy your curiosity. Remember, you share DNA with your loved ones. Once it’s in the hands of AncestryDNA, you never know where it will end up. That’s why testing with a private company is a must. 

 

Damn It, Janet, We Don’t Love These Genetic Discrimination Examples

 

Here are just 2 recent examples of genetic discrimination. We have entered the beginning of a very strange journey in American history.  

 

2015 – Joy mining was sued for requesting family medical history. They specifically requested information about genetic diseases. Wait, wait, don’t tell me, don’t you find that out through genetic testing? 1.

 

2016 – Colman Chadam was unceremoniously kicked out of school when his parents disclosed his health history to school officials. This medical information was, you guessed it, learned through a genetic test. 2.

 

In both of these scenarios, the information was volunteered. However, how soon will it be before we live in a society where you can access this information as easily as you could for a background check? Some would quote The Smiths and say, “how soon is now?”. What once was volunteered could very well be obtained without your express permission. 

 

Secret Sequence Is the Most Private DNA Test

The tests you purchase from Secret Sequence is not only the most private DNA test you can obtain, but it is also among the most extensive. If your chosen path to find out more about your health or ancestors is through a DNA test, then Secret Secret can be your trusted guide. 

Works Cited:

  1. “Joy Mining Machinery Settles EEOC Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act Lawsuit.” EEOC, 17 Jan. 2016, www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/1-7-16.cfm.
  2. Zhang, Sarah. “DNA Got a Kid Kicked Out of School-And It’ll Happen Again.” Wired, Conde Nast, 3 June 2017, www.wired.com/2016/02/schools-kicked-boy-based-dna/