toadsworthy
Tangsworthy
Lol at the people saying "I don't want them to have my DNA!" sound like Karens. That's kind of like a conspiracy theory and really more applicable to the shadier genetic testing companies (see the story about the person whose DNA was used to connect a murderer. But why wouldn't you want to help catch a murderer?) Honestly, what would they really do with it too? Who benefits by like knowing you have some disease or predisposition without telling you....
23andMe are very clear about what they do and do not do with your DNA in their informed consent piece, so you can look at it before signing up to calm any concerns before doing it if interested. Its very easily shown on their website, I found it in 20 seconds. If you're not interested in the first place, then ok cool, why fluster other people about it who are interested.
23andMe only shares this with the providers you say and their providers necessary to make the report that YOU request (Ancestry plus or minus health related). If you consent to it they will use your DE-IDENTIFIED report (take away anything that could be used to relate back to you) for correlation research studies, but you are in control of what they do. This is because we have still so much to learn about genetics that having a huge database of people can be helpful in classifying some things in the future, more personalized medicine. The main taker on this would be like drug companies, but again they don't get your name/ location/ DOB/ etc. just like your medical history (Caucasian female 40 yo with breast cancer and diabetes for example) and DNA sequence. Or they use it themselves to publish articles that again, benefit the scientific community as a whole. However you can easily opt out of this through the informed consent piece of their sign up process, if you read through it... if you don't then thats on you. 23andMe doesn't dump your info into public databases even, but even these are harmless and de-identified, I use them in my job to give me more information on uncertain results which are common in the type of genetic testing i run for people. 23andMe is big and reputable enough they don't do anything sketchy and probably make more than enough money that they wouldn't jeopardize their integrity and public status for something like blackmarket selling of DNA (which idk if thats really a thing).
My main gripe with them is what I posted first in this thread and don't communicate what you actually learn and how to use their test, which can give my more definitive testing a weird rep.... but their handling of patient information is fine
For Americans, there is a law the genetic information non-discrimination act (GINA for short) that prevents health insurance companies from using any genetic test results to change/ make you pay more/ or drop you from insurance so you are protected. Life insurance/ long term care/ and disability insurance are not covered by that, but any current policy is covered. However something like 23andMe is usually just between you and them, so if you do it and never report it to the insurance company or your like primary care physicians, then no insurance will probably ever get a hold of it.
23andMe are very clear about what they do and do not do with your DNA in their informed consent piece, so you can look at it before signing up to calm any concerns before doing it if interested. Its very easily shown on their website, I found it in 20 seconds. If you're not interested in the first place, then ok cool, why fluster other people about it who are interested.
23andMe only shares this with the providers you say and their providers necessary to make the report that YOU request (Ancestry plus or minus health related). If you consent to it they will use your DE-IDENTIFIED report (take away anything that could be used to relate back to you) for correlation research studies, but you are in control of what they do. This is because we have still so much to learn about genetics that having a huge database of people can be helpful in classifying some things in the future, more personalized medicine. The main taker on this would be like drug companies, but again they don't get your name/ location/ DOB/ etc. just like your medical history (Caucasian female 40 yo with breast cancer and diabetes for example) and DNA sequence. Or they use it themselves to publish articles that again, benefit the scientific community as a whole. However you can easily opt out of this through the informed consent piece of their sign up process, if you read through it... if you don't then thats on you. 23andMe doesn't dump your info into public databases even, but even these are harmless and de-identified, I use them in my job to give me more information on uncertain results which are common in the type of genetic testing i run for people. 23andMe is big and reputable enough they don't do anything sketchy and probably make more than enough money that they wouldn't jeopardize their integrity and public status for something like blackmarket selling of DNA (which idk if thats really a thing).
My main gripe with them is what I posted first in this thread and don't communicate what you actually learn and how to use their test, which can give my more definitive testing a weird rep.... but their handling of patient information is fine
For Americans, there is a law the genetic information non-discrimination act (GINA for short) that prevents health insurance companies from using any genetic test results to change/ make you pay more/ or drop you from insurance so you are protected. Life insurance/ long term care/ and disability insurance are not covered by that, but any current policy is covered. However something like 23andMe is usually just between you and them, so if you do it and never report it to the insurance company or your like primary care physicians, then no insurance will probably ever get a hold of it.
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