GENEALOGY-DNA-L Archives

Archiver > GENEALOGY-DNA > 2002-12 > 1040355380


From:
Subject: Re: [DNA] Why have test privacy
Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 22:36:25 EST


In a message dated 12/19/02 6:24:56 PM Pacific Standard Time,
writes:

> Why do people want privacy? What is the downside? Why keep DNA tested
> families private. Isn't the purpose of DNA is to see who links to whom.
> Why the charade on so many web sites.
>
Some of that is because of Spam. People don't want information published
online that can be harvested by spammers. Also, identity theft is a problem.
There are reasons to avoid putting any personal information online. However,
I think there is a generalized tenebrous idea about what DNA for genealogy
can show.

People are worried that genetic medical conditions will show up in a family,
especially when you start testing DNA. Do you want to have an association
with Huntington Chorea or Frederick's Ataxia just because another person with
your surname has it?

There are other reasons too, having to do with African roots. It is not
uncommon for some people to not expose what they suspect might be true. Why
open a can of worms? When you toss in a little bit of morality, like some of
Grandma's kids were blond, blue-eyed, and ruddy skinned but Uncle John sure
had dark skin and extremely curly hair.

Some of those problems will disappear as the Internet matures. Some of it
will disappear when common people realize that DNA for Genealogy doesn't
reveal as much as having your name painted on your mailbox. We'll get more
test subjects when it is not so exotic. I'm curious how my father's mtDNA,
which is almost but not quite a match with Haplogroup U-2, got into a woman
from Alabama or Georgia before 1800.

Grant W. Johnston, Chico, CA
Ask me about DNA, the genealogy tool for the 21st Century.

This thread: