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

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

#51

Post by cellularmitosis »

mimixco wrote: post #3

All of the at-home DNA testing companies include this in their license agreements, including the ability to use your DNA in case any of your relatives might be accused of a crime. This is one case in which you definitely want to read the license before you sign up... then throw that test tube in the trash!

Speaking of "throw that test tube in the trash", I'll share my anecdote:

One of the DNA testing companies was offering a free test for folks who suffer from things like autoimmune disorders (which I do). I signed up, got the kit, filled out the survey which asks a bunch of specific questions about which particular medical condition you have, etc. I set the box aside, planning to take it to work and drop it off in outgoing mail the next day.

Well, _literally the next morning_ my youtube account was suddenly showing ads for medication for my particular condition.

They didn't even wait to receive my DNA before selling me out! Threw that test tube in the trash faster than you can say "scumbag"!

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

#52

Post by ChuckMcM »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #45
twoquestions wrote: post #18

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.

With regards to political groups, what would DNA tell you that their Facebook profile and network wouldn't?

Who their relatives are. One tool of political assassination is to out the sibling of the { conservative | liberal } party candidate.

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

#53

Post by AllegedAlec »

usaphp wrote: post #49
throwaway66666 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It means you will be unidentified by political groups. EG let's say a right wing goverment in France finding all the gypsies in Paris. Or a life insurance corporation seeing that you have predisposition for heart disease, and refusing to provide services to you.

> Or a life insurance corporation seeing that you have predisposition for heart disease, and refusing to provide services to you. I don't get your example. It's a private company and has a right to decide what risks it should take...Unless there is a government control over life insurance rules - why would an insurance company risk losing money? It's the same as charging an 80 year old man higher premium than a 20 ye…

Because perfect information makes insurances useless. Insurances work because we know that most people have roughly the same chance, plus or minus a bit, to get royally fucked in life by disease, acts of God, human maliciousness and all that. That means that when someone gets the rough end of the stick, the entire group helps to pay to keep them on their feet.

If we have perfect (or near-perfect) knowledge, what would insurers do? Well, they'd charge you for exactly how much you're going to cost, plus some administrative costs, plus some extra. At that point, everyone's better off not having insurance.

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

#54

Post by buboard »

> a private firm has agreed to voluntarily allow law enforcement access to its database.

I mean, nothing says that it was voluntary. In any case this should not be surprising. Everyone who uses these services knows that they ll be fingerprinted. Hopefully, one day we'll have private, home sequencers.

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

#55

Post by whatshisface »

rabboRubble wrote: post #47
mimixco wrote: post #3

All of the at-home DNA testing companies include this in their license agreements, including the ability to use your DNA in case any of your relatives might be accused of a crime. This is one case in which you definitely want to read the license before you sign up... then throw that test tube in the trash!

I know I'm not a serial rapist &/or murderer. I hope my family members are not. The question is: what do I value more? A society without serial rapist killers or my family? I guess I prefer a society without that sort of nonsense, so even if my DNA is used to ensnare a relative, and they were doing horrible stuff, I'd be heartbroken that a family member had gone so astray but grateful they were unable to hurt anybody…

>The question is: what do I value more? A society without serial rapist killers or my family?

I would got for option three, a society without false positives, and especially not a false positive because someone's naive uncle involuntarily submitted the entire family for testing.

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

#56

Post by WalterBright »

wonderwonder wrote: post #4

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…

Let's say the government was able to perfectly connect every person who commits a crime with that crime.

Combine that against the reality that everyone commits 3 felonies a day.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704471504574438...

That's the perfect tool for oppression. Do you really want the government to be too good at solving crimes?

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

#57

Post by lozaning »

OldSchoolJohnny wrote: post #22
wonderwonder wrote: post #4

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.

Im sure they can just send the samples to Target for double checking like they've done for years.

https://corporate.target.com/article/2012/02/an-unexpected-c...

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

#58

Post by laken »

wonderwonder wrote: post #4

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…

The problem with using DNA to identify someone in crime is that we leave DNA everywhere. See this case for example: https://www.wired.com/story/dna-transfer-framed-murder/

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

#59

Post by buboard »

odorousrex wrote: post #2

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.

All of the above? Technology is a nondiscriminatory enabler
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