>

I mean im just a dumb person but even I know of better ways than that phd creep.
I bet it’s like how they caught the golden state killer. Run it against the database to a sample at the scene, hits on a family member. They can tell they’re related from the DNA profile but it’s clearly not the person in the system. Look up relatives, wow he lives 10 miles away, look up registration, drives an Elantra. They tail him across the country for in PA till he throws away a drink cup or something, watch him use it and toss it, it’s abandoned property. Test the sample- boom, match. Arrest warrant. >

This seems like parallel construction with extra steps, but I'm no supreme court judge. >

absolutely not - most states hold that discarded items are fair game for law enforcement. no way a challenge like you’re suggesting would ever hold up in court. >

I'm not contesting the legality of it, I'm no lawyer type. But morally it feels like it should be poison fruit. And it isn't, but that feels like a gap in privacy law, at least to me. >

don’t agree at all. you discard something it is fair game. what right do you have to privacy over an item you’ve discarded? none. people have tried and failed to challenge the legality of this kind of evidence. it’s been used in dozens of high profile cases >

Let's wind back to clarify what I mean. I believe that morally, performing investigation via genealogy database records is a bad idea. I think it is against societies best interests. I believe that it will open the door to police overreach and will disincentivize people from using important genetic services. This point can be easily debated.
But given that I think that that, using genealogical data to find nearby relatives, whose only fault was being geographically close to the crime and a relative of someone who is a potential DNA match feels morally dubious.
Again, I'm not claiming that it is against the rules, I'm asking whether perhaps it should be. >

I just don’t agree. the dna isn’t automatically added to GED match. people have to choose to opt in, or they are made aware when they submit their dna that it will be available in those kind of databases. genetic genealogy has resulted in decades long cold cases being solved. it could very well lead to wrongfully convicted people being exonerated.
I think you need to read up on what genetic genealogy is and how it’s been used in cases. Cece Moore is a good name to look at - this is a laborious process and leaves essentially no room for error, and needs to be confirmed with a fresh dna sample (ie discarded cup or cigarette). people are acting like genetic genealogy is being used to catch innocent people or to catch people committing very minor crimes. this is largely being used to solve decades old cold murder cases and serial killer cases. if we had good dna on the zodiac, he would have been caught by now with this technology. 
no one is telling you to submit your dna to GED match. personally I would have no problem with a distant relative of mine being caught using mine if they committed a violent crime like the ones being solved here. >

Now it might be being used that way. But if the police have shown us anything, it's that if they have been given a good tool, they will eventually find a way to weaponize it against minorities and left-wing protesters. >

or petty personal grudges. >

As awful as the selling and use of such personal data is (of genealogy database data), catching all of these serial killers is a silver lining. >

Sure, give up a little privacy here and there to catch a killer.  That’s all fine and great.  
The thing I keep coming back to is how useful the Nazis would have found such a database. 
Data never dies.  Some day, maybe in 20 years maybe in 100, there may be an evil group of people in power who either have easy access to this sort of information or engage in some kind of digital archeology to acquire it. (Assuming one day stricter ideals of personal privacy and DNA ownership come into play)
I just hate the idea that I could be sending my (great) grandchildren to hell because I wanted to know what percentage Norwegian I am.
Imagine your child is now an insurgent fighting in a civil war and their identity is discovered and they’re captured because you mailed your DNA to a corporation before they were born.
It’s China’s wet dream and they are 100% building that database. >

I know folks will call us both super paranoid, but agreed. >

They already call me super paranoid. I wear my mask & stick tape on all the cameras in self checkouts at the grocery store (used for face detection algorithms and training sets) while refusing any stupid 'store discount card which they sell to data brokers. 
Targeted advertising and marketing techniques using data compiled from multiple inputs is the reason for significant shifts in politics and fhe growth of cult like extremists. It started with the success of the Arab spring, which showed many unscrupulous profit motivated douchbags how powerful a tool targeted advertising on social networks was. Look at gamergate, then the incels & the explosion of alt right ideologies. They tested the methods and seen how very effective the new-age propaganda machine can be. Thats ehen the very same people moved to politics (think Steve Bannon, milo and their ilk - all having dipped their toes in the water with the gamergate to incel pipeline). 
In 2015, I published a peer reviewed article on how unscrupulously these for profit companies use big data for shameful and illegal business practices. They further sell it and make even more - without the customer even being aware, let alone giving them a choice to share their data. 
It's all fucked and the nazis already have all the data they need. Hell, I have compiled an enormous dataset for my dissertation and can honestly tell you it is scary. 
If I can do it, anyone can. Be paranoid, someone needs to. >

We need more paranoid people running for public office and passing legislation that actually makes a difference. I know scores of people that are just as paranoid, but not a single one wants to do anything beyond post online. Not an attack on you, the fears are not unfounded, but hiding away seems to be par for the course.
Unfortunately, taking a stand often draws the exact attention trying to be avoided, and rarely pays anything. Still, there is a shot, just a really long one. >

It is economically disadvantageous to do anything about it (in academia anyway). Publishing my previous work was very risky and still I get hate mail.
Another example is my agricultural work -  must be kept aside prior to graduation as I do not want to bite the hand that feeds (grant funding agencies).  They support many of my friends and colleagues. And if I were to go rogue, I will burn bridges to any viable future in the field. 
Regarding other work, I cannot publish some of the results due to serious safety issues (big data / human trafficking / real locations & credit card identifiers & data). 
But I agree. People can't or won't do anything and it's frustrating >

Mind if I ask what analysis you're doing on these data sets? Investigating potential for targeted advertising or mass manipulation, that sort of thing? And do you have to buy the data from big breaches? I am not implying you're doing anything wrong, just curious. >

Close actually, potential for influence (think of an index value and some social science work to evaluate the results against). 
Most importantly, you do not need to buy data anywhere. I've used open source data and combined it using unique identifiers specific to geography and time. 
Hacked data is free & available through a number of groups as open source repositories. I'll update this later with a link to one. >

I wonder how many people who have “gotten away with murder” live in fear their family is going to sign up for 23andme? >

I wonder how many people have a creepy uncle who keeps insisting that DNA genealogy sites are a government conspiracy and nobody should use them. >

Luckily for me my cousin is in prison for one of those crimes that the government takes your dna and puts it on file for you. I added mine to gedmatch as a “fuck you” to any other sick bastards in the family tree to make it easier to narrow down which one they are looking for. >

If you wanna be a serial killer, stabbing someone seems like an easy way to leave a bunch of dna. Might as well use a powerful airgun or crossbow. >

Specific but not quite oddly specific...we're watching you u/degenerate_hedonbot