Condobloke
Well-Known Member
Genetic testing firm 23andMe admits hackers accessed DNA data of 7m users
US company says ‘threat actor’ responsible for security breach that affected nearly half of its 14m reported users
www.theguardian.com
Genetic testing firm 23andMe admits hackers accessed DNA data of 7m users
- Thread starter Condobloke
- Start date
www.theguardian.com
I cheated and leaned on my academic contacts. That's how I got my DNA profile.
I am not going to give that information to a third party. That's why I've never signed up for anything like that.
I am not going to give that information to a third party. That's why I've never signed up for anything like that.
I was enlisted and they drew all sorts of blood. I also had my security clearance for years. Given those two things, even though I do not recall it ever being stated explicitly, I strongly suspect the government has my DNA. If not, I have no idea how long they store those samples taken from me. I assume they're long gone and any testing will have been done by now.
I was enlisted well before DNA was a household name. It hadn't even been successfully used in the USS courts at the time. Still, I'd not be surprised to know they held the samples long enough and grabbed a profile later. After that, there's probably not much of a reason to retain the original samples.
Aristarchus
Member
Well this is never going to be accurate. SNPs should not be used for "ancestry" search. Not to mention that in addition db is limited so for most part guessing ancestry depends on existing db which is limited. In effect, because Inuits don't screen DNA, if one has Inuit blood may not be recognized as such. In other words: waste of money and breach of the privacy.
The DNA screening of newborn children in the US is no secret (CDC). But it might surprise some to know that it's been going on for 60 years. Some states keep these DNA samples indefinitely, as a little Google searching will reveal. The consent of parents is often not required, and parents may not even be informed that this testing is being done.
But isn't Brian's topic about security instead of DNA? I am a 23andMe customer and my data has likely been caught up in this breach. But I'm not freaking out about it, at least not yet. I've changed passwords on their website, and I don't re-use passwords. My credit is "frozen" with all three major credit bureaus. I don't think there is yet any capability for a criminal to "pretend to be me" using any DNA results they may have obtained... or I've never heard of such a thing.
I might be more worried if my fingerprint or iris scan were leaked on the dark web, but I don't use any biometric authentication to log into anything. Our faces are probably already very well catalogued from work ID, school ID, driver's license, and of course... social media. Even though I don't use facial recognition tools, I'm still subject to their use on me in public spaces. We all are, and there are cameras nearly everywhere now.
Like most things, DNA technology can be both good and bad. DNA screening of newborns for genetic abnormalities is a good thing, but we can all easily see the potential for misuse. Computers, cars/motorcycles, guns... can all help us and help protect us... or can kill us. Well, okay, a computer isn't likely to kill you by itself, short of electrocution... but it can sure mess you up if used carelessly, especially financially. But also physical harm could happen as a result of things like doxxing, swatting, or other bullying.
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This is the way. (At least in my country.)
My biggest data swipe was during the OPM hack.
