Live data from Hacker News

One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

buzzfeednews.com

31–40 of 331 posts

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#31
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't mean this in a seriously snarky tone, but: What you're saying has been said by every generation which experienced great leaps in technology. Why is this wave of technology, one less transformative than the invention of the printing press or transistor or nuclear bombs (none of which lead to ruin), going to be the one that leads to a dystopia?

I think you bring up an interesting point. For those of us who are employed in the darling industry of our time, in the most liberal societies, who manage our money well, and are not related to anyone undesirable, this will not be a dystopia, it'll be paradise!

It would be beneficial to your friends and family, and probably your own quality of life, to start considering whether those who do not meet the above criteria should be subject to oppression, while those privileged by birth and wealth live in paradise.

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#32

I am torn on this, as on the one hand it does violate privacy to a very large degree and provide massive power to the government. Things I am very much against. On the other hand, essentially all this does is provide law enforcement a means to potentially quickly identify violent criminals via physical traits as opposed to the contents of their mind such as forcing someone to unlock a phone which I am very against. A…

>If the company did not disclose this in massive font to potential customers ahead of time, then I do think this company should very quickly go out of business. Disclose what? The point of most of these services is that you are adding yourself to a searchable database where you can find relations. The FBI seems to be using the service for the explicit reason it exists. I'm very uncomfortable with the thought that one…

23andMe, for example, only shows your information to people that it identifies as being related to you (typically ~1000 people). And that's only if you have open sharing turned on -- otherwise they need to send you a request. That's quite different from just sharing your information with anyone who searches for it.

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#33

I really can't tell if we are headed towards a "1984" dystopia, a "Brave New World" dystopia, a Black Mirror "Nosedive" dystopia, or now a "GATTACA" dystopia. It seems like we're headed to a horrible hybrid combination of all of the above.

Snow Crash, obviously.

(it really is kind of the most ... human ... and thus most likely )

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#35

I am torn on this, as on the one hand it does violate privacy to a very large degree and provide massive power to the government. Things I am very much against. On the other hand, essentially all this does is provide law enforcement a means to potentially quickly identify violent criminals via physical traits as opposed to the contents of their mind such as forcing someone to unlock a phone which I am very against. A…

>If the company did not disclose this in massive font to potential customers ahead of time, then I do think this company should very quickly go out of business. Disclose what? The point of most of these services is that you are adding yourself to a searchable database where you can find relations. The FBI seems to be using the service for the explicit reason it exists. I'm very uncomfortable with the thought that one…

There’s a meaningful difference between the government getting a warrant to look for a specific person’s DNA and searching everyone’s DNA to see if it’s a match. Why should the government get to digitally “stop and frisk” three hundred thousand people because they have a hair sample from a murder scene?

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#36
post #17

I really can't tell if we are headed towards a "1984" dystopia, a "Brave New World" dystopia, a Black Mirror "Nosedive" dystopia, or now a "GATTACA" dystopia. It seems like we're headed to a horrible hybrid combination of all of the above.

I don't mean this in a seriously snarky tone, but: What you're saying has been said by every generation which experienced great leaps in technology. Why is this wave of technology, one less transformative than the invention of the printing press or transistor or nuclear bombs (none of which lead to ruin), going to be the one that leads to a dystopia?

Was something different said by generations which prevented great leaps in technology?

Was the way in which the great leaps in technology happened unaffected by what those generations said?

How do you know that every other wave of technology wouldn't have led to dystopis if noone had said anything about it?

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#37

I am torn on this, as on the one hand it does violate privacy to a very large degree and provide massive power to the government. Things I am very much against. On the other hand, essentially all this does is provide law enforcement a means to potentially quickly identify violent criminals via physical traits as opposed to the contents of their mind such as forcing someone to unlock a phone which I am very against. A…

`law enforcement a means to potentially quickly identify violent criminals` Go ahead and replace "law enforcement" with political group you don't like, and "violent criminals" for a group you do.

I don't get it. What political groups rely heavily on not being identified? Most political groups have leaders whose identity is public knowledge.

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#38

I am torn on this, as on the one hand it does violate privacy to a very large degree and provide massive power to the government. Things I am very much against. On the other hand, essentially all this does is provide law enforcement a means to potentially quickly identify violent criminals via physical traits as opposed to the contents of their mind such as forcing someone to unlock a phone which I am very against. A…

This part is concerning though: "Under the arrangement, the company has also agreed to test DNA evidence for the FBI in its private laboratory." I hope the FBI will corroborate whatever results the private company comes up with later and just use the data to narrow down the suspects.

That's likely how it will play out, DNA evidence is a lot shakier these days since it's better known that DNA can go places the owner has never been. The transition point where juries don't know that though will be a bit scary, no one wants to be falsely implicated (like [0]) because they touched a handle on a bus and later the actual criminal touched it too.

[0] https://www.wired.com/story/dna-transfer-framed-murder/

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#39
To my knowledge, in California, a genetic sample has to be recovered and stored of every baby born? The archive is run by the state government. So why do they not use this registry that they already have full control over, but the data from the DNA company?

Re: One of the Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working with the FBI

#40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

`law enforcement a means to potentially quickly identify violent criminals` Go ahead and replace "law enforcement" with political group you don't like, and "violent criminals" for a group you do.

I don't get it. What political groups rely heavily on not being identified? Most political groups have leaders whose identity is public knowledge.

> What political groups rely heavily on not being identified?

Resistances, opposition groups in some environments, etc.

Post reply on HN