Well, sure. We knew this already, right? But it’s nice to see it spelled out with actual research, and Joe Cadillic has sent some along for us. Antonio Regalado spells it all out in an article on MIT Technology Review: A private DNA ancestry database that’s been used by police [Read More…]
Stephanie Goldberg reports: As genetic testing gains popularity both at home and in the doctor’s office, gaps in privacy protections are becoming more apparent. Existing restrictions are full of loopholes. Federal law prevents genetic discrimination by health insurance companies and employers, but it doesn’t prevent other insurers—including those selling life [Read More…]
Peter Aldhous reports: For the first time on record, the new forensic science of genetic genealogy has been used to identify a suspect in a case of violent assault. Cops in Utah had to obtain special permission to upload crime scene DNA to a website called GEDmatch, which had previously [Read More…]
Nila Bala writes about an issue generating more discussion and debate. Could publishing a criminal suspect’s DNA in an open-source database create problems for innocent people? Could there be mistakes? What happens after the suspect — who usually isn’t involved a dramatically serious crime like serial killing, etc., is released [Read More…]