Ancestry DNA - Membership

[4Q]

Maybe I’m missing something here but aren’t Ancestry.co.uk the best people to provide clarity?

[Truckosaurus]

I'm not sure how their 'close match' works, but if you sign up with your son's results won't everyone flagged as close to him be also related to either you or your wife (unless some dirty secret is exposed)?

[Roofless Toothless]

Never in a million years would I let my DNA fall into the hands of an unregulated organisation like this.

Never forget that people living in Germany in the early 1930's wouldn't have dreamed they would be subjects of a Nazi regime by the end of the decade.

[PF62]

Truckosaurus said:

I'm not sure how their 'close match' works, but if you sign up with your son's results won't everyone flagged as close to him be also related to either you or your wife (unless some dirty secret is exposed)?

Happens more frequently than people think - www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-46600325

[glazbagun]

Roofless Toothless said:

Never in a million years would I let my DNA fall into the hands of an unregulated organisation like this.

Never forget that people living in Germany in the early 1930's wouldn't have dreamed they would be subjects of a Nazi regime by the end of the decade.

I think it will come eventually (apparently lots of health/ medicine improvements if they really get the hang of this DNA thing) but, just like facial recognition and data privacy on facebook/google, the legislation will be twenty years behind the practical use of the science.

Are there securities on what happens to your DNA profile data afterwards?

Here's a (happy) story on how someones ancestral DNA was used to solve a pretty monstrous cold-case, so presumably the authorities can get what they want. I don't know if they can sell the data to (for example) insurance firms though.

Edited by glazbagun on Thursday 17th January 20:32

[Jasandjules]

Roofless Toothless said:

Never in a million years would I let my DNA fall into the hands of an unregulated organisation like this.

I am given ton understand that some of these companies sell the data on..... Not ideal...

[NotBenny]

What do you want to achieve?

Surely they won’t say “this bloke in Reading might be a 4th cousin” or similar because of data protection?

All I would say is that this is a big thing in the US at the moment and it only brings pain. Are your family closely related to you? Yes? Of course, that’s your family. No? Ah. st. Well that’s your life gone.