https://thinkprogress.org/ancestry-com-takes-dna-ownership-rights-from-customers-and-their-relatives-dbafeed02b9e

There are three significant provisions in the AncestryDNA Privacy Policy and Terms of Service to consider on behalf of yourself and your genetic relatives: (1) the perpetual, royalty-free, world-wide license to use your DNA; (2) the warning that DNA information may be used against “you or a genetic relative”; (3) your waiver of legal rights.


"Buried in the “Informed Consent” section, which is incorporated into the Terms of Service, Ancestry.com warns customers, “it is possible that information about you or a genetic relative could be revealed, such as that you or a relative are carriers of a particular disease. That information could be used by insurers to deny you insurance coverage, by law enforcement agencies to identify you or your relatives, and in some places, the data could be used by employers to deny employment.”

thanks for the heads up devoted exmo... I value my privacy and was toying with getting a dna sampling done

I'm not sure that summary is completely accurate.

If you "opt-out" of Ancestry's "research" initiative, they can (and will) still use your DNA both individually and as part of statistical aggregates, but NO personally identifying information will be included with it. So nobody can identify it as YOUR DNA unless they have a court order or warrant.

Let me qualify that by noting that recently Ancestry got some heat for giving an Idaho police department personally identifiable information WITHOUT a court order or warrant (they're being sued over the incident), so they may violate their own agreement (but if they do, you can sue their butts off).

But anyway, much of the information in that article only applies if you "opt-in" to the larger "research" initiative. Officially.

Me, I've already put my DNA in a live organ-donor registry, which does have my permission to be public (under certain circumstances), so I'm not too worried -- I opted-in to the "research." Just want to be accurate :)

That's why I suggest people know this information and read the agreement.

Even if you opt out, there are exceptions to what they can do. People should know what they're getting into.

They have mine.

I'm curious to get the ancestry report but prefer privacy. To that end, I've been toying with having a friend buy/submit my material under his/her name, using a money order and fake name/work address or something similar.

Has anyone tried methods like this to remain anonymous? Was it successful?

I don't see why it wouldn't be successful.
They didn't "verify" any information about me at all.
And they don't have my SS number or anything.
They just ask for an e-mail and phone #.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2017 12:24PM by Amyjo.

If there were DNA matches with your genetic code, you might be able to meet relatives.

By using a proxy to stand in for you, it messes with them later on should they want to run their DNA for personal reasons. And it would cast a shadow on your own.

You'd be mucking it up, in other words, so why bother doing it? You won't get notified of the results directly but through a 3rd party. That sounds weird, doesn't it? A waste of money if you ask me.

23 and me gives you the option for privacy, if that's what you prefer. It's on the registration form when you sign up.

I spit into the cup yesterday and mailed my spittel off to 23 and Me.

It's similar to Ancestry, but not the same.

I did give my consent and authorization to be part of a DNA database (also had the choice to "opt out.")

Will see how it goes.

Some people get their DNA tested with several or more, to compare their results.

A friend, the most Swedish of any you'd ever meet, got results back: Africa. Here and there, but all places extremely unbelievable.

I'm wondering whether they just looked at my friend on Facebook and provide a good guess?!

A request for a refund was made and is currently in dispute.

The definitive DNA Ancestry Results:

https://xkcd.com/1840/

(For those who are unfamiliar, xkcd is a techy comic... Hover your mouse over the image for an extra punchline)

I don't sign up for any organ doning. Because if I do have some accident that could result in my death if medical decisions are not made, me being on the donor list, they are going to have me die for sure.

Organ donor / organ harvesting is big business.

Chicago is a great place to get new organs. Deaths everyday to provide for the demand.

We have enough relatives tracking us down, and asking us for money, as it is. We had to draw the line at second-cousins, and aren't wanting to extend it to distant cousins who are complete strangers. (Ours will most likely be more Mormons, coming from polygamy, as we do.)

I don't have any relatives rich enough to ask for money lol.

Lucky you ! ;-)

You don't own your dna.

http://www.newsweek.com/2014/08/01/whos-keeping-your-data-safe-dna-banks-261136.html

You may want to Google DNA and intellectual property rights. A researcher, unbeknownst to you, can take your, say, super-duper cancer-resistant genes, turn them into a treatment, and make $billions, because the work belongs to the researcher more than the dna belongs to you.

Fine, you say. My genes helped people, and I don't need to know about it. It's the $billions that bug me. Sure, few work for fun, they work for profit, but the ways in which medicine has come to be a cash cow feeding off of the desperately ill and dying needs to be outlawed. End of story.

Do the collectors of your dna prophit? Good question.