Millions of Americans Could Be Identified Using Consumer Genetic Databases —Even If They’ve Never Taken a DNA Test

Up to 60% of Americans of European descent could be identified using only a DNA sample, some basic personal information and consumer genetic databases—even if they’ve never done a genetic test themselves, according to a new study published in Science. Some 7 million Americans have taken a direct-to-consumer DNA test, many of which promise insights about ancestry, wellness and likelihood of developing certain chronic diseases in exchange for a sample of spit. The proliferation of these tests has also given rise to crowdsourced online databases that allow people to anonymously upload their results for further analysis and ancestry research. One of these sites, GEDmatch, proved instrumental in arresting the suspected Golden State Killer in April, sparking questions about genetic privacy. Those questions bubbled back up in July, when consumer testing giant 23andMe announced that it had sold a stake of its business to pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, so that GSK could use anonymized data in drug development. In the new Science study, researchers wanted to see just how anonymous genetic data really is. Not very, they found: If investigators were presented with a random DNA sample from an American of European ancestry, they could in roughly 60% of cases use consumer genetic databases to find a third cousin or closer blood relative match. (Since fewer Americans of other heritages have participated in consumer genetic testing, it would be harder to identify these i...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Genetics healthytime onetime Source Type: news