The president of FamilyTreeDNA, one of the country’s largest at-home genetic testing companies, has apologized to its users for failing to disclose that it was sharing DNA data with federal investigators working to solve violent crimes.
In the booming business of consumer DNA testing and genealogy, FamilyTreeDNA had marketed itself as a leader of consumer privacy and a fierce protector of user data, refusing, unlike some of its competitors, to sell information to third parties.
But unbeknown to its users, the Houston-based firm quietly and voluntarily agreed in 2018 to open its database of more than two million records to the F.B.I. and examine DNA samples in its laboratory to identify suspects and victims of unsolved crimes.
FamilyTreeDNA confirmed the deal on Thursday, in a report by Buzzfeed News, setting off a backlash among its loyal users who felt betrayed and igniting another debate over privacy and ethical issues with investigators using genealogical sites to solve crimes.
In an email to its users, the company’s president, Bennett Greenspan, defended the agreement with the F.B.I. but apologized for not revealing it sooner.
“I am genuinely sorry for not having handled our communications with you as we should have,” Mr. Greenspan wrote, according to a copy of the email obtained by The New York Times. “We’ve received an incredible amount of support from those of you who believe this is an opportunity for honest, law-abiding citizens to help catch bad guys and bring closure to devastated families.”
The news underscored the lack of universal regulations governing direct-to-consumer genetic testing in the United States and how companies can use their data without consumers’ knowledge.
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6 comments:
Hope to see a class action lawsuit soon. This also shows how much you can't trust our government.
There is a distinction to be made here - Many sites that are the "home kit" style (where you provide a DNA sample) have in their very fine print a release that requires the participants signature. This sign off permits just such actions - DNA testing done by your doctor's office or ordered by your doctor to be completed in a lab facility (think Quest; LabCorps, etc.) are all subject to HIPPA and cannot be used in this manner without expressed consent by the person tested.As our parents always told us, be sure to read the fine print.
I am all for helping catch murderers, but this p!sses me off. I did Ancestry DNA and if they use mine I will work on a class action lawsuit. I am a law-abiding citizen, but I opted out of this for medical use and others. This is fraud and they are guilty.
This is the start of the U.S. Government spying on you. They can do it with smart phones, TV's, Computers, electric meters, etc.
I smell lawsuit. Deceptive business practices, especially when trumpeting their commitment to privacy.
Did anyone think that this was something other than a data mining expedition, kinda like Facebook?
I think it's hilarious.If your 5th cousin has committed a crime YOUR dna will nail them!That is hilarious.
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