Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
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Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#2For those who are annoyed about the name of the site not being in the title: GEDMatch was phised a few days ago, then yesterday phishing led to the data exfiltration from the Israeli DNA site MyHeritage.
Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#3This is why I’ve been putting off getting my genome sequenced. One breach and it’s out there forever.
I’ve heard good things about nebula[0] as a way to get an anonymous genome but have yet to be motivated enough to take the plunge
Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#4Not saying that building databases of DNA is a good idea, but DNA is basically public information. Everyone whose hands you shake (nowadays quite rare) gets copies of it. The Amazon package you get has genes of every human who touched it. If you send it back, you are sending Amazon your genes. The only issue is the sequencing and the consent to use it for purposes like "improving our services" aka improving the ads targeting or insurances (once the DNA company is bought by an insurance). Consent is arguably less of an issue for hackers.
Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#5This is why I’ve been putting off getting my genome sequenced. One breach and it’s out there forever. I’ve heard good things about nebula[0] as a way to get an anonymous genome but have yet to be motivated enough to take the plunge [0] https://nebula.org/whole-genome-sequencing/
surely enough of your cousins did that it doesn't matter
Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#6This is why I’ve been putting off getting my genome sequenced. One breach and it’s out there forever. I’ve heard good things about nebula[0] as a way to get an anonymous genome but have yet to be motivated enough to take the plunge [0] https://nebula.org/whole-genome-sequencing/
It's kinda sad that the genome sequencing machines need to be fed loads of genomes in order to offer cheap prices for customers. You can't just buy one for home then use it a couple of times to sequence your family. That'd be most privacy preserving, but the fabled 1k whole genome prices are (currently) only available in high throghput machines. OTOH it's also better because that reduces the nonconsensual sequencing.
Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#7This is why I’ve been putting off getting my genome sequenced. One breach and it’s out there forever. I’ve heard good things about nebula[0] as a way to get an anonymous genome but have yet to be motivated enough to take the plunge [0] https://nebula.org/whole-genome-sequencing/
surely enough of your cousins did that it doesn't matter
What a bullshit argument. Can't have complete security so might as well have no security.
You're cousins genome, no matter how close, is not your genome.
Why make it easier on those surveiling us?
Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#8This was bound to happen at some point of time. I have been having repeated "conversations" with my dad about why he and I should NOT send a cheek swab to 23andme (or any similar services). Today I think I will be able to drive the final nail in that coffin.
Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#9Not saying that building databases of DNA is a good idea, but DNA is basically public information. Everyone whose hands you shake (nowadays quite rare) gets copies of it. The Amazon package you get has genes of every human who touched it. If you send it back, you are sending Amazon your genes. The only issue is the sequencing and the consent to use it for purposes like "improving our services" aka improving the ads t…
It is a bit like face recognition databases. In principle, the data is already public-enough. In practice, building these databases enables qualitatively higher levels of surveillance.
Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database
#10This is why I’ve been putting off getting my genome sequenced. One breach and it’s out there forever. I’ve heard good things about nebula[0] as a way to get an anonymous genome but have yet to be motivated enough to take the plunge [0] https://nebula.org/whole-genome-sequencing/
Pseudononymously getting yourself sequenced is the way to go, but if enough relatives have their genes leaked under their real names, piecing together family trees isn't difficult.
One half-hearted option is to order a kit "as a gift" from one of the major sites and register it under a pseudonym. You're taking a risk that they're not keeping track of which kit serial number is shipped to which shipping address, and hoping the timing of the order can't be too easily correlated with the serial number.