News & Events

Study uncovers new privacy worries for direct-to-consumer DNA testing

PNAS

Researchers found several vulnerabilities in the DNA databases of the companies GEDmatch, MyHertiage, FamilyTreeDNA, and Living DNA that could leave users’ personal genetic data at risk of being hacked. The take-home message for consumers, says UW Research Professor Sharon Browning, is that “if they care about their DNA’s privacy, then they shouldn’t upload [their DNA] to these databases.”

Category