BI215-A: Principles of Genetics

DNA test advertisements from genetic companies such as 23 & me, Veritas, and Genos have for the past few years been a popular pop up on my social media feed on several platforms. However, since I have never been super interested in the concept, I never took the time to delve into how these tests actually work. The process consists of an interested individual buying a DNA test kit from one of these providers. In the kit, they simply ask you to collect your saliva into a tube. From there, their lab extracts DNA from cells in your saliva sample and leave it to a genotyping chip to read thousands of variants in your genome. Once the data is analyzed, they collect the data and send the information back to you. I think two main problems arise from these DNA tests: security and response to finding out information about your ancestry. These companies do say that they protect all of your personal information and encode it with randomized labels, but if you dig deeper into the fine print they essentially imply that they are allowed to do whatever they want with your DNA and “it is never possible to fully guarantee against breaches in security” (23andMe, n.d.). So essentially for them to operate as a business, they share your information with third parties to initiate research, probably make money, and to send you marketing information. Another more personal problem is the reaction that people have to their DNA tests. In doing my research, I came across a story of a woman who prior to taking the test believed she was of Indian descent, but her test revealed she was actually of African descent so she began to develop mistrust in her family. People can also discover if they have a gene mutation to see if they have a chance of getting a disease that has been passed along through their family such as BRCA1 (breast cancer). Personally, if I were to receive news of such a mutation I think I would lead a life of being afraid but could also be more prepared and take more preventative measures to battle the development/spread of it. Overall, I think partaking in these DNA tests is something that people have to weigh the pros and cons of. I have no clear answer but I can see both sides of the argument. On the one hand, it seems unethical to have a stockpile of everyone’s DNA in the hands of who even knows because like 23andMe says, they can’t protect our personal information from security breaches. On the other hand, I do think these tests offer interesting positives such as being able to trace your ancestry (especially if you are adopted) and the potential to contribute to precision medicine which will hopefully lead to breakthroughs in medicine. 

23andMe. (n.d.). Privacy and Data Protection. Retrieved from: https://www.23andme.com/privacy/

Lawton, G. (2018, August 11). 'It made me question my ancestry': does DNA home testing really understand race? Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/aug/11/question-ancestry-does-dna-testing-really-understand-race