23andMe confirms hackers stole ancestry data on 6.9 million users::Genetic testing company 23andMe revealed that its data breach was much worse than previously reported, hitting about half of its total customers.
What is your concern with doing a DNA spit test? I’m honestly curious, because I haven’t heard an actual answer yet. I don’t see how it exposes any more information compared to what advertisers already have.
Is this a serious question? Advertisers don’t know that you carry a gene that means you may prematurely die? They’d like to know though, so they can feed you life insurance scams when they know you’re vulnerable, “last chance” style round the world cruises, last will and testament legal services and of course pharmaceuticals. They also want to target your loved ones while they know they’re especially vulnerable after you’ve loss. They want to send your spouse widows dating apps and psychic hotlines, etc. Advertising is knowing your specific weaknesses/vulnerabilities and exposing you to your triggers in your most vulnerable moments,for profit.
Also, this data is correct, and it’s Data that can/will be used to deny people health coverage/insurance/jobs in the future. Also a potential tool to reveal layers of ethnic heritage they would make the nazis drool (look into how IBM did a version of this for the nazis to use the census to help enable the historic scale of that genocide). With trump potentially around the corner and other rising fascist powers worldwide, and the only way trump stays out of jail is to remain president indefinitely and “silence” his detractors, it’s just too much sensitive data to be amassed, especially by a poorly regulated private company. Also makes your DNA vulnerable to cups gaining access eventually and bringing you in as suspect for crimes you didn’t commit and, especially in places like Texas, executing you.
Better question is, why are you on the side of this topic that you’re on?
Have any of your blood relatives had any diseases that have a genetic component? Cancer? Heart disease? Yeah, we don’t cover that, it’s as clear as day, in the fine print, on page 13,131 of indexed addendum information. Additionally, you knowingly had this information from a DNA test, which constitutes fraud, making your policy null and void. Thank you for your business.
That’s a good point that I hadn’t considered. I’m not sure how that would go over legally in the US. They could gather very similar information by looking at records from relatives who have used the same insurance company, even just financial records, but that is monitored closely by the government. I wonder if we’ll be seeing any lawsuits in the near future.
For me the reason is the same than with all collection of personal data on social media. There is no any one specific scenario I’m worried about per se, but it has more to do with the potential for misuse in the future. I hate to compare things to nazies but it’s the best example I can come up with. Just imagine what a goldmine facebook user data would’ve been to them. There’s always the possibility for a fascistic government of some kind to take power one day and a database containing these amounts of personal information of near every person alive has near infinite possibilities to be misused. I couldn’t possibly imagines all the ways this information could be used against me but it can and thus the safest way is to prevent them from having the data in the first place. It’s sort of an insurance. You hope that it will not be needed and it probably wont but going completely without is pretty irresponsible too.
Advertisers have my preferences and buying and watching habits, my DNA is… my DNA. That’s another whole level
But why? Why is your DNA more you than literally every thing you’ve ever looked at or expressed an interest in?
Cataloging individual DNA data casually at a massive scale opens the door for massive genetic discrimination of all kinds, from discriminatory health insurance premiums and hiring discrimination to aparthied, eugenics, and genocide. “Don’t be silly that’ll never happen here.” Is the height of affluent arrogance.
Humans have proven themselves to be fully capable of these horrors, it is just a matter of time until it happens again, and when we create tools of consolidated power-- just like IBM created machines that enabled Nazi concentration camps–we only increase the chance of enabling some deranged element of society oto repeat these catastrophic horrors.
All that downside just so we can consume 15 minutes of dopamine.
Insurance companies would love your DNA too, for all the “good” reasons. And imagine not getting a job because of your DNA.
Zipcodes can do just so much…
I can easily imagine hiring managers tossing out job applications of people who have a family history of autism, but that’s more a problem of it being too hard to fire them if they’re a problem.
Religious people could also use a history of mental illiness to assume satanic activity.
What happens the worst that can happen when you give your DNA to a privite company? Delta Airlines will frame you for murder.
