HACKER Q&A
📣 mromanuk

Is it safe to analyse your DNA?


Yesterday I saw this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0QJvZlEDNo where one of these doctors recommend to test your DNA to know your weakness and anticipate future problems and prevent deseases. Although, recently I read about a data breach from one of the major genetic analysis companies. I'm concerned about privacy and future threats that can appear with your DNA in the wild. I feel like I'm giving away my private key, which obviously is impossible to replace. What are your thoughts on these matters?

  👤 haspoken Accepted Answer ✓
The doctor's idea is excellent, but your right, the information can leak, and not just from data breaches but also via the Law enforcement, the government, and other companies via mergers and acquisitions or they just may sell the information or give it away. Doctors can sell their practices, or be acquired by large business interest.

Something else to consider though, any relatives will have pretty much that same information and may decide to have analysis done under terms you would not accept.

This is what lead to the Golden Stake Killer's capture.

You might also want to consider is who will interpret the information and will it yield reliable information, or just a guess?

Here are a few stories about identical twins getting different results:

https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/dna-ancestry-kits-twins-m...

https://www.healthyway.com/content/these-identical-triplets-...