One Of The Biggest At-Home DNA Testing Companies Is Working With The FBI

[left-of-center2012]

Family Tree DNA, one of the largest private genetic testing companies whose home-testing kits enable people to trace their ancestry and locate relatives, is working with the FBI and allowing agents to search its vast genealogy database in an effort to solve violent crime cases, BuzzFeed News has learned.

For law enforcement officials, the access could be the key to unlocking murders and rapes that have gone cold for years, opening up what many argue is the greatest investigative tactic since the advent of DNA identification. For privacy advocates, the FBI’s new ability to match the genetic profiles from a private company could set a dangerous precedent in a world where DNA test kits have become as common as a Christmas stocking stuffer.

The Houston-based company, which touts itself as a pioneer in the genetic testing industry and the first to offer a direct-to-consumer test kit, disclosed its relationship with the FBI to BuzzFeed News on Thursday, saying in a statement that allowing access “would help law enforcement agencies solve violent crimes faster than ever.”

In December 2018, the company changed its terms of service to allow law enforcement to use the database to identify suspects of “a violent crime,” such as homicide or sexual assault, and to identify the remains of a victim.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/family-tree-dna-fbi-investigative-genealogy-privacy

[montanacowboy]

1. It was bound to happen

n/t

[Iggo]

2. .

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. changed its terms of service .....

we tend to think TOS are set in cement.

As for the DNA/privacy issues, i have heard many concerns, esp. since the police now have the right to compel giving up blood/DNA evidence.

[Quemado]

4. 10 Reasons NOT To Do An Ancestry Test