Relatively simple tests that can analyze an individual’s DNA have proved a boon in the fields of medicine and criminal justice, not to mention genealogy. They can identify genetic disorders, implicate or clear criminal suspects, and help people fill in their family trees. However, breaches like the recent one at 23andMe have underscored that sharing DNA with testing companies makes consumers vulnerable to the exposure of their most intimate personal information. And it’s become increasingly clear that DNA data can be used in ways we never expected or desired.

It’s difficult enough to know how your DNA data might be used now, let alone in the future. And unlike a bank account number or a password that can be changed, once it’s out there, it’s out there for good. There are obvious reasons for companies such as insurance providers to take an interest in your physical makeup. The US military in 2020 advised its personnel against using consumer tests, in part because a result showing a marker for disease could both be inaccurate and stymie a career. Your genetic data could reveal information you might not want public, such as an unacknowledged parental connection. If you’re a lawbreaker, or so much as distantly related to one, there’s the fact that law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on DNA data to solve difficult cases. Also, the tests can reveal a person’s ethnicity, which can be dangerous in some contexts.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o7jOqKSbnaKce6S7zGilnq%2BjZK6zwMico56rX2d9c3%2BMamlmaGVkwamxjKugrKOjYrynedKhmKuhnpx6urvUq2SdppFixKrAx2aenqaVqbakedOeqq2hnpx6p7XRpqpmpJmgsm5%2BkpqlnaWV