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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

#121
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason for Mormons to especially care about their genealogy?

> One of the core tenets of Mormon faith is that the dead can be baptized into the faith after their passing. Baptism of the dead evolved from the beliefs that baptism is necessary for salvation and that the family unit can continue to exist together beyond mortal life if all members are baptized. > Mormons trace their family trees to find the names of ancestors who died without learning about the restored Mormon Gos…

There is an interesting sci-fi version of Mormonism's baptism of the dead & Tipler's Omega Point in Charles Stross's Accelerando: https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/acceler...

> The Church of Latter-Day Saints believes that you can't get into the Promised Land unless it's baptized you – but it can do so if it knows your name and parentage, even after you're dead. Its genealogical databases are among the most impressive artifacts of historical research ever prepared. And it likes to make converts.

> The remaining faithful of the Latter-Day Saints are correlating the phase-space of their genome and the records of their descent in an attempt to resurrect their ancestors.

> ...the panopticon-logged Net ghosts of people who lived recently enough to imprint their identities on the information age, and the ambitious theological engineering schemes of the Reformed Tiplerite Church of Latter-day Saints (who want to emulate all possible human beings in real time, so that they can have the opportunity to be saved).

That results in a a fun version of the simulation hypothesis where we're all simulated beings in some Mormon-Tipler Heaven.

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#122
post #48
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> including an option to destroy your saliva sample Until I read that sentence, it honestly never occurred to me they would keep that around. The data, sure. Biological samples? I just assumed they would be disposed of after use.

Ever heard of HeLa cells? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HeLa

RadioLab did a great episode on Henrietta's story

https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/segments/91716...

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just baptize every human then?

Ha! Get a load of this guy, caring about people outside his family /s

That's the whole point; they intend to baptize everyone living or dead, and theoretically even the dead get to decide whether to accept.

Genealogy is a side effect of this, I have the vague impression that they need to know who you are to baptize you; however, everyone on the planet is a member of the same "family".

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#124
This is why I did my DNA sequencing several years ago with a fake name, a sparkling brand new email address, at a unique domain registered for the purpose, with a fake name as the registrant, paid for with a prepaid card, via a VPN. I downloaded the results and let all of it lapse; other than the DNA itself, it is utterly disconnected from the rest of my digital records.

It's a shame that one has to go to such lengths to safely use health-related electronic services.

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#125

As someone who works in cybersecurity, it's always hard for me to interpret PR language like "orchestrated through a sophisticated attack". This could be aimed towards non-savvy readers meaning basically anything or it could be accurate and describe a nation-state (although I don't get the feeling of a sophisticated nation-state actor here). The DoJ used similar wording when prosecuting Aaron Schwartz for using Pytho…

By the way, it's Swartz

My Swartz is bigger than yours.

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#126

This is the same level as having a breach of biometric data. With password/payment/location breaches you have the ability to change what you entered as to invalidate/outdate the data which was stored. Having your biometric/genome authentication data stolen or made public will be a nightmare.

No, not really.

There's no practical way to protect our genomes in meatspace. We're constantly shedding DNA into the environment. Hair, skin, saliva, etc. For example, an adversary can just tail us to a coffee shop or restaurant, and take a utensil or straw or napkin that we've used. And then submit the sample using a fake name, as investigators often do.

Edit: Those are excellent comments about scale. But generally, if you don't want to publicize your genomic data, just don't send in a sample.

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just baptize every human then?

That's what they're trying to do. In Mormon theology everyone who dies without a chance to be baptized must be given a proxy baptism by someone living, so they have a chance to accept the gospel in the afterlife. The goal is that this will eventually happen for everyone who ever lived. (Source: former Mormon.)

Send someone up to space each year and sprinkle water on earth, do a bulk lot.

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not just baptize every human then?

There has been a bit of that. Although it is officially against church policy, some Mormons have baptized some deceased Jews, including Anne Frank: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/03/us/jews-take-issue-with-p...

I feel like taking offense at this is not worth it. If they sincerely believe they are saving souls, and you don't, then it shouldn't mean anything to you.

Baptizing the dead seems silly and quaint, but Christians used to ask, how is it fair to send the unbaptized to hell that never had a chance to be saved? Mormons should get some credit for acknowledging the unfairness and coming up with a "solution".

I think it's a sad commentary on human nature that the Christian sects that don't believe anyone goes to hell at all are even more fringe and taken less seriously than Mormons.

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's what they're trying to do. In Mormon theology everyone who dies without a chance to be baptized must be given a proxy baptism by someone living, so they have a chance to accept the gospel in the afterlife. The goal is that this will eventually happen for everyone who ever lived. (Source: former Mormon.)

Send someone up to space each year and sprinkle water on earth, do a bulk lot.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_Y%C3%BC-hsiang#Conversion...

There was a Chinese general who supposedly did something like that using a firehose.

Re: Breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database

#130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's what they're trying to do. In Mormon theology everyone who dies without a chance to be baptized must be given a proxy baptism by someone living, so they have a chance to accept the gospel in the afterlife. The goal is that this will eventually happen for everyone who ever lived. (Source: former Mormon.)

Send someone up to space each year and sprinkle water on earth, do a bulk lot.

Unfortunately won't work unless you flood the world, because Mormons only do baptism by full immersion.
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