Dystopian Futures: Murder, Genealogy/DNA Databases, Ethnicity and Privacy

Abstract

Ancestry databases are popular because you can trace your genetic background with at-home, mail-in DNA tests. This technology was used to catch the Golden State Killer, a forty-year-old cold case, using genetic markers to find distant relatives, then tracing his family tree to find him. The public is accustomed to criminal DNA databases but using a civilian non-criminal database for this purpose has alarmed some privacy advocates. Who owns your DNA? Since you share it with others, who can use it and for what purpose? What other uses could these DNA databases be put towards? For example, will Native American tribes require a DNA test before membership is granted? Could DNA testing be part of future scholarship applications? Privacy concerns may include debt collection and healthcare discrimination. Those who own the databases often have goals that go beyond simply earning money. Are these databases reliable? We may not have an answer to any of these controversial questions but exploring an ethos may become more important as advances continue.