FamilyTreeDNA Share Its Genealogy Database With the FBI
FamilyTreeDNA Share Its Genealogy Database With the FBI | |
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Short Title | FamilyTreeDNA Allows FBI to Search Its Vast Genealogy Database |
Location | United States |
Date | January 2019 |
Solove Harm | Disclosure, Secondary Use, Identification, Interrogation |
Information | Medical and health, Identifying |
Threat Actors | Gene by Gene Ltd, Law Enforcement |
Individuals | |
Affected | People who's profiles were uploaded to FamilyTreeDNA |
High Risk Groups | |
Tangible Harms |
FamilyTreeDNA was found to have voluntarily agreed to be working with the FBI and allowing agents to search its vast genealogy database.
Description
Family Tree DNA is a daughter company of Gene by Gene, Ltd. and one of the largest private genetic testing companies whose home-testing kits enable people to trace their ancestry and locate relatives.
Several privacy violations were identified when in early 2019 the company was found to be working with the FBI and allowing agents to search its vast genealogy database. Firm has agreed to voluntarily allow law enforcement access to its database, although they don’t have any contract with the FBI. Disclosure
Another violation here is Identification. The FamilyTree database is free to access and can be used by anyone with a DNA profile to upload, not just paying customers. Besides, relatives, identified by their genetic code have not appeared in the data base willingly, unlike registered users.
Some people who used the service didn’t know the FBI had access to it, in which case its an example of Secondary Use, since these users were sure their information was only processed for the purpose of tracing their relatives.
FamilyTreeDNA claimed customers could decide to opt out of any familial matching, which would prevent their profiles from being searchable by the FBI. However, by doing so, customers would also be unable to use one of the key features of the service: finding possible relatives through DNA testing. This illustrates an example of Interrogation.
Laws and Regulations
Sources
https://themarkup.org/ask-the-markup/2020/02/25/dna-testing-kit
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/family-tree-dna-fbi-investigative-genealogy-privacy