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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

#151

Post by csallen »

JoeSmithson wrote: post #140
ptero wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Total surveillance or global DNA law enforcement database would solve many murders and prevent wrongful convictions. However, it would also give many opportunities for framing convenient suspects and "encouraging" confessions. I am sure your case was above board but, being born in a totalitarian state, I do not trust law enforcement too much and prefer to err on the side of not solving some crimes. My 2c.

How would it let you frame convenient suspects? Surely you would need to place that suspects DNA at the scene, in which case you already have it...? Where does the database come into this?

Just because the government finds your DNA at the crime scene doesn't mean they know it's yours. They have to match it against some sort of database that connects the DNA to your identity.

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

#152

Post by mrmuagi »

module0000 wrote: post #138

If this bothers you, consider fighting back. Submit as many DNA samples to as many firms as you can find. Send each sample from a different [consenting] donor, and ask that they do the same and include you among their donors. This action at scale dirties the data sets of all the companies involved.

I don't think that plan follows awfully well, why on earth would you pay money for services for the sole intent to game their database into inefficiency? A spotted chance of that even working, at best you've given them money for nothing back. No, it's best to just spread the word amongst your friends, and avoid all this muck.

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

#154

Post by mikeash »

kilo_bravo_3 wrote: post #130
mikeash wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about accidental harm because your DNA or a relative’s DNA managed to end up at a crime scene, or bad lab procedures produce a false match?

>Most notoriously, Brandon Mayfield, an American lawyer, was wrongly linked by four fingerprint experts to the 2004 Madrid train bombing. He was arrested and detained for two weeks, before investigators realised that an Algerian man, Ouhnane Daoud, was the real source of the print. https://theconversation.com/fingerprinting-to-solve-crimes-n... Should law enforcement be prohibited from fingerprinting objects found at…

Maybe. The more relevant question here would be: would you pay some company to get yourself fingerprinted and have them put your prints in a big database for police to use when solving crimes?

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

#156

Post by drharby »

AuthorizedCust wrote: post #109
andrei_says_ wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it’s an unfortunate consequence of how the dna test provider treats everyone’s data. It’s incredibly empowering for abuse and completely disrespectful to the individual. The assymetry is staggering.

What if a court compels the analysis or data sharing?

That migrates the issue from business ethics and consumer rights to that of legality.

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

#157

Post by vetinari »

csallen wrote: post #151
JoeSmithson wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would it let you frame convenient suspects? Surely you would need to place that suspects DNA at the scene, in which case you already have it...? Where does the database come into this?

Just because the government finds your DNA at the crime scene doesn't mean they know it's yours. They have to match it against some sort of database that connects the DNA to your identity.

With enough corruption, they might also "find" it on the crime scene.

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

#158

Post by g_sch »

icelancer wrote: post #135
cellularmitosis wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 out…

This is the kind of thing that makes people not believe in the OP's story, because this is absolutely ridiculous. It's called cookie and fragment tracking across the Internet. That's what happened to you. You sold yourself out by browsing the web without sufficient content blockers.

I mean, maybe, but GP also said they filled out a survey with their diagnosis information, so it's certainly plausible that the company added that information to their profile immediately.

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

#159

Post by jackhack »

jhayward wrote: post #112
lotsofpulp wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What rights? Surely if you have rights to your DNA, then your family member has rights to their DNA. It’s just an unfortunate consequence of how DNA works.

It is probably wrong to think of DNA as personal property. Its public use more closely resembles a commons which is shared by many. We don't give individuals the right to pollute air, for instance, simply because they own property that has air on it. Likewise we should develop principles for information which when combined with other information can be used to transgress against 3rd parties' enjoyment of their own pr…

>It is probably wrong to think of DNA as personal property.

Are you kidding? Is there anything else more personal than THE VERY THING THAT DEFINES WHAT YOU ARE AS A PHYSICAL BEING to a level of detail that science may never fully understand it?

Other than one's own thoughts, I, personally, cannot think of something more personal.

Conflating this with air pollution is simply nonsensical.

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

#160

Post by fucking_tragedy »

kilo_bravo_3 wrote: post #130
mikeash wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about accidental harm because your DNA or a relative’s DNA managed to end up at a crime scene, or bad lab procedures produce a false match?

>Most notoriously, Brandon Mayfield, an American lawyer, was wrongly linked by four fingerprint experts to the 2004 Madrid train bombing. He was arrested and detained for two weeks, before investigators realised that an Algerian man, Ouhnane Daoud, was the real source of the print. https://theconversation.com/fingerprinting-to-solve-crimes-n... Should law enforcement be prohibited from fingerprinting objects found at…

Fingerprinting is a notoriously inaccurate pseudoscience along with polygraph testing.

As was seen on HN[1], consumer DNA tests are also inaccurate. In fact, up to 40% of gene variants on consumer DNA tests are false positives[2]. False positives happen with criminal investigations and DNA testing[3]. And now, consumer DNA databases are generating false positives[4] that upend and potentially ruin innocent people's lives.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18938750

[2] https://www.nature.com/articles/gim201838

[3] https://gizmodo.com/when-bad-dna-tests-lead-to-false-convict...

[4] https://www.theadvocate.com/new_orleans/news/article_1b3a3f9...

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