comment: >
context: This falls into a larger category of "people are giving away too much data and control without even thinking about it." >
  
  I think most of just don't care, to be honest. >
  
  This is absolutely it. Any time I bring up privacy or security it's "I have nothing to hide /I don't care" every time. For over a decade now >
  
  Yea I'm super curious about my ancestry because theres a few adopted people in my tree, but theres literally no privacy policies. Besides using it for criminal cases there's no guarantee that 20-30 years from now insurance companies won't be using that data for premiums, or advertisers using it to most accurately advertise to you, governments and political actors using it to influence your beliefs all nasty stuff so I would never do it. >
  
  Agreed and if insurance companies use it, they will raise your premiums because you inherited a risk of disease whether you have the disease or not. So if you have genes that predispose you to hypertension, for example, but you eat well and work out and have normal blood pressure, they would still raise your premiums. The excuse would be you’re higher risk, even though your lifestyle choices eliminate the risk. >
  
  and the worst part is that if a relative does it even without your consent they can link it back to you its all sorts of levels of fucked. They prey on grandmas wanting to know their family history so they can build a database of fuckery >
  
  Since we are all descendants of Adam and Eve they’ll finally be able to prove it. >
  
  Hard agree op >
  
  It’s not a breach of privacy if you fully authorize it (and pay them to do it) >
  
  Except your idiot cousin sold your data because he is related to you and took a test. >
  
  I completely agree with you that genealogy technology poses a privacy risk. It's concerning to think that our genetic data can be used to uncover so much about us, and it's important to be mindful of the implications of sharing this data with companies. We need to be aware of the potential risks and take steps to protect our privacy as much as possible. >
  
  Stupid question I suppose.  
  But what's stopping Blood Test labs from simply storing a little quantity of your Blood and then selling it off/doing DNA testing on it?  
  I think the reason some people "don't care about it" is because we know we can't do shit about it anyway. Take the whole Art AI/ChatGTP discussion going around. If data can be found, companies will find and use it, not giving a fuck about copyright, rights or whatever. >
  
  Literally nothing. They already have us. They can get our hair, our internet, our blood, our spit from tests for viruses. So no point in worrying about giving them your DNA cause if they wanted it, they can for sure get it. >
  
  Uhhhhhhhh wow giving away your literal DNA to a faceless corporation can have unintended consequences?!?!?1?!?? Whoda thunk it >
  
  I’ve never understood people complaining about how the police use the dna info. Don’t be a fucking murderer and I guess you don’t have anything to worry about?🤷🏼‍♀️
  Edit- god people don’t know how to take a fucking joke. Relax. >
  
  Hot take: for me that same applies with website tracking. Oh no Google is tracking my online activity. What are they going to do with it? Sell it to some companies? Then what? Like worst comes to worst I get ads that are at least slightly relevant. I'm not plotting on committing some heinous crime so I don't see a huge deal with search engines and websites doing what social media does anyways. >
  
  And if someone decided to criminalize something you don't think should be a crime? >
  
  What does that have to do with this >
  
  Further up is the argument that as long as we don't do bad things, these intrusions are no big deal. Just don't be a criminal. Which is fine-- unless something you have no qualms about suddenly becomes illegal -- against your wishes and morals. >
  
  Then you'd just stop doing that thing >
  
  Found the authoritarian. "Just stop hiding jews in your attic, it's illegal" >
  
  I think you've completely lost the thread (and managed to somehow call me Nazi) >
  
  Not a Nazi, just a Mitläufer. >
  
  Can't lie, don't speak German, sounds like Nazi adjacent. Ultimately, you've managed to pulled shit out of your ass with an iron hook. Good job. Stop flaunting it and go clean it off. >
  
  I  sure there are 4 families in the Idaho area who do not share your views. >
  
  I walk around w a smartphone in my pocket, companies/governments are already tracking my every move.
  Not like I ever plan on breaking the law or anything, so I’ve never been very concerned. >
  
  You can dump your phone in a ditch any time. DNA is inescapable. >
  
  It's a great way to design viruses >
  
  What are you even worried about anybody doing with your DNA?
  Most people don't understand they're so fuckin irrelevant and unimportant. The government doesn't care about your guns, they're not listening through your Alexa, they aren't in your webcam, and simply nobody cares about you.
  Hackers is another thing, but if you're talking about willingly paying a company for a service, wtf are you worried about?
  The ONLY information I'm worried about giving out is my social and my phone number because then it's nonstop scam calls. Never give those to Facebook or Google IMO. >
  
  The problem people have with limitless surveillance is the potential for disaster when your government turns authoritarian in a few decades.
  Imagine a modern Nazi government with a full DNA database, ability to snoop on all electronic communications, ability to spy on your web usage, facial recognition cameras everywhere. Anyone with Jewish ancestry is found immediately. Anyone related to dissidents is found immediately. Political opponents and resistance are found immediately.
  It sounds far-fetched, but there are tons of authoritarian regimes in the world today. You can see how mass surveillance and facial recognition makes it easier for countries like China and Iran to oppress protestors. You can notice that China is creating a genetic database with 100% coverage that clearly isn't well-intentioned.
  We like to think this won't happen to our own countries, but the world moves quickly. Look at the complete upheaval of politics across the entire world in just the last 100 years. >
  
  If a government turned authoritarian, the thing that gets you won't be your google home mini. Never doing DNA work won't save you. They will take it.
  Buy a frickin Alexa if you want to. It isn't that big of a deal. >
  
  i'm really hoping that they have the wrong guy in regard to the idaho killings, to give the whole process a black eye. >
  
  Would be interesting that’s for sure >
  
  But when will it screw with your life? When will it actually affect you? >
  
  Why is it so bad if police use dna to find criminals >
  
  You should check out the movie Gattaca! >
  
  You pulled this straight of Fox News >
  
  There is nothing unique about DNA here…people share everything. I share all my spending habits so I can track them via an app. Not sure I’d there’s a better way to do that. >
  
  I honestly don't get why the US and other countries don't have biometric data of its citizen recorded. It is incredibly useful for criminal cases, just the fingerprints will do. There are so many cases where fingerprints could make all the difference. There is a famous murder of an entire family in Japan in 2000, the police had everything, fingerprints, blood, hair, etc. The murderer stayed inside the house, used the bathroom, ate snacks, slept on the couch yet for over 20 years, the police couldn't find him. >
  
  You cannot see how this is a gross intrusion into people's privacy? How governments around the world would abuse this? We willingly surrender privacy to cellphone companies and what have you, but to have a government mandate we hand over biometric data to them just because? No thank you. >
  
  Can you give some examples on how fingerprints could be abused? >
  
  You expressed an opinion in 2013 on Facebook. It's 2035 and the government has decided that to be a thoughtcrime. Good luck hiding when your biometrics are known. >
  
  Your argument is that the government could turn totalitarian someday and we  would need to hide from it? Even if we disregard the probability of that scenario happening, what makes you think they can't track you with what is currently available today? Furthermore, biometrics would be a rather inefficient way of tracking somebody down. >
  
  If you think governments turning tyrannical is unlikely, you have not paid attention in history class. >
  
  No one cares about you or me or most people. Sure, you might get a few targeted ads but unless you’re high profile you’re in no danger. And let’s be honest, most of US will never be on FBI’s most wanted list.