> My DNA isn't some terrible secret I have to hide in the dark.
You DNA isn't as unique as you think it is, or it is, but specific parts aren't. The way law enforcement uses DNA tests only compares a small part of your DNA sequence. People have already been wrongly convicted based on DNA "evidence". If 23andMe is opening up access to their database of customers there's a very real chance for people to be misidentified and potentially implicated in crimes they didn't commit, again this has already happened using existing DNA databases.
So yes, you absolutely need to keep your DNA in the dark and only provide it when it's beneficial to you and when you can trust that it's kept safe or destroyed. Providing DNA to a company that might sell it in the future was always a stupid idea. 23andMe might be completely safe in what they are doing, but what stops them from selling your data to say Palantir in the future?
> I think protecting ones DNA is an uphill battle.
Sure, I'd agree with you on that, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't try and just give up. Ideally it should matter and there is a lot of good and positive uses, but still little protection against misuse.
> there's a very real chance for people to be misidentified and potentially implicated in crimes they didn't commit, again this has already happened using existing DNA databases.
The solution there is more light, not more obscuration. You are right, the more samples you screen from the more false positives you will get. The solution is to corraborate the matches with other information, and being transparent about the levels of confidence.
Seems like growing pains for that methodology. More data can inform our confidence intervals.
Someday soon, it'll be as ubiquitous as fingerprints, facial recognition, iris scans, etc. It'll be up to our legislatures and law enforcement to keep pace (it does take decades, sadly).
I don't think pretending something isn't there has ever worked. Only when it's so open and transparent and undeniable does it force through change.
You DNA isn't as unique as you think it is, or it is, but specific parts aren't. The way law enforcement uses DNA tests only compares a small part of your DNA sequence. People have already been wrongly convicted based on DNA "evidence". If 23andMe is opening up access to their database of customers there's a very real chance for people to be misidentified and potentially implicated in crimes they didn't commit, again this has already happened using existing DNA databases.
So yes, you absolutely need to keep your DNA in the dark and only provide it when it's beneficial to you and when you can trust that it's kept safe or destroyed. Providing DNA to a company that might sell it in the future was always a stupid idea. 23andMe might be completely safe in what they are doing, but what stops them from selling your data to say Palantir in the future?