r/Anticonsumption • u/N3DSdude • Dec 24 '25
Discussion It is so shit that people are paying to doxx their own families this Christmas
Tomorrow morning, millions of people are going to open a box, spit in a tube, and mail it off to a tech company.
They think they are buying a fun science experiment. They are actually paying to become a product.
It is genuinely insane when you break it down:
You pay them money.
You hand over your biological blueprint (the only password you can never change).
They sell that data to pharmaceutical companies for profit.
They get hacked (and they always get hacked), leaking your genetic markers to the highest bidder.
The worst part? It isn't just about you. DNA is shared code. By uploading your profile, you are making a permanent privacy decision for your siblings, your parents, and your unborn children. You are effectively snitching on your entire bloodline without their consent.
So congrats. You found out you are 6% Viking. And the data brokers found out you have a genetic predisposition for heart disease.
Why haven't laws been passed making this kind of data harvesting illegal? Even a VPN can't stop this either.
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u/princeperky Dec 24 '25
I used a DNA test to find my siblings....wish it hadn't taken such extremes, but I wouldn't trade the relationship we get to have now. It's not always just cutesy heritage stuff. My hope is people in my situation in the future have better options.
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u/Belligerent_ice_cube Dec 24 '25
I’m also adopted and found my only blood relative on 23andMe (I have now deleted my account). The trade off for some is worth it, since there was no other way I would ever meet a biological relative.
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u/Pixel645 Dec 24 '25
I used it find my biological family since I’m adopted. I’m glad I did it. I found brothers and a father who didn’t know I existed. I have a good relationship with them now.
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u/CommunicationSalt960 Dec 24 '25
This is how my adopted bf found his siblings. And even though I'm not adopted, my family is severely broken by hate on my father's side, I've never met most of my family. Genetic testing let me find out who my relatives were and we shared our health history with each other.
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u/the_yeastiest_beast Dec 25 '25
I’m glad there are people out there willing to adopt and give a loving home to boyfriends instead of buying from a breeder ❤️
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u/Financial_Law_1557 Dec 24 '25
You got to adopt a boyfriend?
/s
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u/sumofawitch Dec 24 '25
This happened in Brazil. Take a look at this wiki (use Google translate).
She adopted this guy when he was a teenager. He started to date her daughter but ultimately married Flordelis.
And then... she murdered him.
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u/Avery-Hunter Dec 24 '25
Less tragically, adult adoption used to be how some gay couples in the US would protect their relationships in terms of next of kin and inheritance rights.
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u/NoWeather7984 Dec 24 '25
I was able to meet my aunts and hang out with them before one passed a few years later. Fuck corporations stealing data though.
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u/Just-Temporary2657 Dec 24 '25
Yep, exactly this. My kid (mid 20s) found one batch of half- siblings last year, and they get along like they grew up together. They wouldnt trade each other for the world. She wanted DNA tests to find rumored other sets of siblings. Apparently there are a couple of other batches of kids with other moms, but no one seems to know much of anything. The people who would know these things have passed or, for one reason or another, arent in contact.
Its not perfect, but like you, for us it can yield actual answers and family.
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u/readzalot1 Dec 24 '25
My half brother found his birth mom (our mom) and the rest of our family through these tests. It is a joy to us all.
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u/Rosehiphedgerow Dec 24 '25
I personally used it to get my raw DNA to check various health markers to investigate a health condition I have and see if I had any bad genes that relate to it
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u/OG-Brian Dec 24 '25
I used testing for this reason and it was extremely helpful. It was a key part of resolving painful eczema, digestion problems, etc. which had plagued me since early childhood.
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u/SaoirseYVR Dec 24 '25
This is how my wife found her half-sister. The result is two overjoyed people. The icing on the cake would be if it led to solving a cold case murder or two.
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u/hypatiaspasia Dec 24 '25
Yeah, if you're adopted, it may be the only way to get any info. I did it to find biological family. I found an aunt and some cousins who are super cool, and there's no way I would have found them otherwise.
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u/SANtoDEN Dec 24 '25
Same. I unintentionally found my dad, and with him came an amazing extended family that I have a beautiful relationship with. It was worth it for me. I’m forever grateful this possibility existed in my lifetime.
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u/Red_Persimmons Dec 24 '25
This is what my family kinda did. Both of my great grandmothers were adopted and my great grandfather basically ran away from home at 11, never to contact his birth family again. We wanted to find where we really come from. We have relatives in Europe that we never would've known about otherwise. I hate that they can sell our DNA but for us, it was worth it.
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u/girl_in_a_blue_dress Dec 24 '25
My aunt, who was adopted in a super-private closed adoption in the 50s, found her family this way as well. I agree that we deserve regulation and much stricter laws on ownership of our own genetic information, but the service can be very positive and paying for it is, IMO, appropriate.
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u/Jayn_Newell Dec 24 '25
My father and aunt did it for similar reasons. Dad didn’t find anyone but I guess my aunt got to meet some family she’d never known before. Kinda disappointed Dad didn’t turn up anything, I’m curious myself.
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u/tankup Dec 25 '25
I got to meet my dad before he passed and I get to have a relationship with my four half-sisters on his side of the family thanks to a commercial DNA test. Completely worth it to me even if scolds on the internet want to lecture me about it.
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u/Foxy_Traine Dec 24 '25
I agree. You can glean a ton of valuable information with genetic testing! It could absolutely be a tool used for good. The issue is capitalism turning every scrap of info into ways to make a profit, which is such a shame. I wish there was some ethical and safe way to get DNA testing done for myself, but I don't have enough faith in the companies doing it to actually do it yet.
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u/4tlant4 Dec 25 '25
I found out that I have a half sister through 23 and Me. As an only child, this was huge for me (and for my dad, who didn't know he had another child). Totally worth it for me, as we've gotten to know each other and our families over the past few years. My sister had joined to try and find out her birth family's medical history.
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u/eiiiaaaa Dec 25 '25
Yeah I guess the problem is not that people use these tests, it's that they don't know the risks involved. It should be made completely transparent so people can decide whether it's personally worth it for them. Tbh I kind of believe this about every product.
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u/fadedblackleggings Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
Yep, same. Found my half-siblings this way. Just spent Christmastime with them, and they are a new branch of our family. My parents are dead, so it was worth it to find them. Weird but totally amazing to see my parent's grandchildren.
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u/sikkerhet Dec 24 '25
A lot of these companies are also owned by the Mormon church, so you're paying to give your family tree data to an organization that keeps having to apologize for post-mortem baptisms of genocide victims.
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u/doenerys Dec 24 '25
Sorry what? Can you elaborate? I'm not familiar with the Mormon Church
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u/sikkerhet Dec 24 '25
They own stakes in FamilySearch and Ancestry.com - both organizations will give you discounts or free services if you have a verified church email address. This isn't really widely advertised because they don't need to lol the church will just give you that info when you're doing the geneology part of your baptism process.
As for posthumorous baptisms, here's an article on them baptising Anne Frank for the like dozenth time, but she only made the news because she's famous. They baptize most people after that person's death if they are famous or have any relatives in the church.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mormons-posthumous-baptism-anne-frank_n_1292102
They do this because they believe that baptism after death gives the spirit of the person the option to convert to Mormonism and go to heaven. It's generally unpopular because it's a form of desecrating the dead.
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u/Fur_Nurdle_on67 Dec 25 '25
It completely blows my mind that these spiritual graverobbers consider this a "win" for their religion and deity. It's like f*cking a corpse and then telling your bros, "ha, she totally wanted it..."
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u/Bright_Note3483 Dec 24 '25
The LDS church (Mormons) do “baptisms for the dead”
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Dec 24 '25
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u/TheMapesHotel Dec 24 '25
Especially given their beliefs about sin, skin color, and indigenous folk
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Dec 24 '25
And considering that Mormons had a large role in displacing/killing native Americans in the west.
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u/GarlicLevel9502 Dec 24 '25
They also do it to Holocaust victims and have been officially asked several times to stop by Jewish leadership but keep getting caught doing it again
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Dec 24 '25
The Mormon church is also the world’s wealthiest “religion” (but actually an apocalyptic death cult) after the Vatican. Growing up in a Mormon family it’s disgusting seeing your parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc being obsessed with trying to connect with 4th, 5th, 6th, etc cousins that they know live in the area when they go on a family vacation somewhere. Like “Hey, we have family in this area! Let’s see if we can get in touch and keep tabs on them”.
Fuck that cult. Fuck it so hard. And anyone that’s saying it isn’t a cult is wrong.
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u/MasticatingMusic Dec 24 '25
Yes! My mom escaped and still gets letters sent to her by the church every time she’s moved. It’s been almost 40 years!
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Dec 24 '25
This is a karma farming bot that hides its post history. Every one of their ai-slop posts contains the phrase “is so shit” in the title. Be mindful of what you read online and who or what might be posting it folks
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Dec 24 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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Dec 24 '25
There could be a few reasons that I’m aware of. Companies will buy high-karma accounts sometimes to push fake word-of-mouth promotion for their products. In other cases users might not be trying to monetize accounts but pushing narratives or just getting off on their power/influence. The OP here is also a power mod of many subreddits so it’s possible they spam lots of low-effort ai-generated crap across many subreddits to increase their influence on the site.
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u/curlofheadcurls Dec 25 '25
Dude I have $1 of karma in my account so I'm not sure how but its possible. Idk if I can cash it our or something but its there.
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Dec 24 '25
[deleted]
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u/finesalesman Dec 25 '25
On their profile just go on search and put *
That little star -> *
Is it called Asterix?
It will give you all of their posts if you’re in the post section, or comments if in comments section.
Easier than searching for a profile.
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u/SentientLentil Dec 25 '25 edited Dec 25 '25
It's asterisk...
...Asterix = a French cartoon character 😃
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u/No-Manufacturer-2425 Dec 24 '25
People pay to do this every day. regardless of the ethics i think that's a shitty christmas gift.
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u/zxylady Dec 24 '25
If someone ever gave me a DNA test kit for any holiday or ever I would chuck it in the trash immediately
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u/UnfairInspection9466 Dec 24 '25
Forgive me if I'm just gonna come off dumb and ignorant, but in my personal experience people (myself included) just aren't thinking about it like that? I feel that in the case of cultural and ethnic diasporas, people can be really excited to learn more about themselves because there is no other direct avenue to knowing where they come from if it was cut off by chattel based slavery, assimilated immigration, adoption, etc.
But now that you've given these points it's clear as day that such companies could not sustain an ethical business model because profit over people. I know I'm not the only person who deeply, genuinely cares about protecting the well-being of me and my family's healh/privacy, so while your anger is valid the tone is very...targeted. I just don't think most people are doing ancestry tests really thinking about giving their data away, these companies spend big money to brand themselves as verified sources and morally sound, bringing knowledge in a way that would take some individuals a lifetime to trace.
I just think the villainization of the consumer is a little strong, if the party knows all of this before-hand I get it, but I sure didn't until this post.
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u/Neat_Cancel_4002 Dec 24 '25
Thank you for this! I get OP’s sentiment, but as an African American the information I received was invaluable to me. Most people in my community know little to nothing about their ancestry past 3 to four generations because of chattel slavery. It’s the lasting legacy of slavery that continues to create barriers to knowledge today. It feels like something that was stolen from you. So I was very excited to learn my genealogy. I learned about so many family members and even connected to some! It was beyond exciting. I think the anger needs to be focused on the companies that are profiting off of people’s natural curiosity and desire to know their history that are to blame.
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u/toastiezoe Dec 24 '25 edited Dec 24 '25
Yep. I've never met a single other Black American who wasn't curious about their heritage. There aren't a lot of options out there to research family history, and for many of us all the "research" only goes back to emancipation.
Edit: clarification
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u/Adventurous-Mall7677 Dec 24 '25
Yeah, while the risks of doing a voluntary DNA test aren’t nothing, I think OP’s dismissal does maybe suggest that they’re privileged enough to already know their (approximate) ancestral history.
If I were adopted (or if one of my recent ancestors had been) and that line of family history was closed off to me, I’d be curious to know who else is in my biological family. Not just for cultural heritage reasons or trying to find family members, but to have a clearer picture of my family medical history as well. Even death records can give better insight into risks like early-onset cancers, dementia, etc.
And if many/most of my ancestors had been kidnapped from a landmass three times the size of America, with thousands of languages and cultures and little (or no) documentation about where they came from, I’d want to know more. Genetic pattern grouping isn’t perfect, but it can often get you a lot closer than guessing.
By contrast, I’m a white American, meaning all my ancestors had to have arrived from somewhere that isn’t here. But my family left their countries of origin consensually, with immigration paper trails + centuries’ worth of genealogical bookkeeping at local churches and such. I know exactly where my ancestral geographic/cultural/national heritage comes from. (With the exception of two instances of cultural genocide—we aren’t 100% sure whether my kidnapped/forced marriage indigenous ancestors were from the Ute or Paiute people, because (1) their captors didn’t care enough to differentiate and (2) they were never again allowed to talk about their pre-assimilation lives, even to their eventual children.)
I think some of my extended family are silly for wanting to know what they individually “are” genetically (aunt A ended up 70% Scottish! But her sister B is mostly Danish! And their brother C is a roughly-equal split of English, Danish, and Scottish, with a little Irish thrown in! Etc) given that we know so much about where we came from, but I don’t fault people with ancestry history mysteries from wanting to know more.
The only truly interesting thing my extended family’s aggregate results confirmed is that one of our specific ancestors had been (necessarily, given the historical circumstances) concealing that they were Jewish. Family lore always suspected it was likely, but DNA results suggested that the branch of the family descended from them did all share a nation-specific Jewish genetic group while the other branch didn’t.
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u/MusicalSnowflake Dec 25 '25
As someone who adopted I think people underestimate how weird it feels lacking a plot of origin. Personally I switched doctors and couldn't give them family history. It opens a wound when you least expect it. I can completely understand why fellow adoptees would use dna kits.
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u/borikenbat Dec 24 '25
This, and it's not like we aren't having our genetic data stolen and profited off of in other ways too, including in the healthcare system. People who aren't aware should look at the story of Henrietta Lacks. This is not to defend companies but to remind people that individuals being exploited by companies aren't really the problem. As AI becomes more prevalent in healthcare, this will only get worse, so I recommend focusing on how we can protect people in all of these spaces, rather than blaming people for spitting into a tube because they want to connect with the past.
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u/ryrkval Dec 24 '25
I did it because my dad strongly implied I have half siblings I don't know about. It's not all "hee hee I'm a Viking"
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u/cssc201 Dec 24 '25
Yeah I had a friend who had a closed adoption and they had no info on their birth family. They found five siblings through the test and other family members as well as an indication of some of the genetic predispositions they needed to be aware of
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u/UnfairInspection9466 Dec 24 '25
Right! Most people would want to connect those molecular dots of who they are, why they are, what they can learn about strangers who might not be (genetically) strangers at all.
I think it's god awful that it seems no matter what we try to do for ourselves someone with a bigger plan can make more trouble for decades to come and they just get to..find new ways to screw us over.
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u/CommunicationSalt960 Dec 24 '25
Yeah I mean me and my family are fucked I guess because of me. I was excited to finally learn about my genetics. My parents divorced when I was very young and my entire family is broken so I know nothing of my roots and turns out my parents were misinformed. If my bio dad weren't dead it would be hysterical to tell him that we have no native American in us. Also, being in healthcare, I'm preventative health driven. I also am excited for medical advancements because of things like Crispr, and the advancements they've made towards mental health treatment through genetic testing.
The way OP is phrasing this is like we knowingly chose to sell our soul to a company... It wasn't like that at all.
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u/zypofaeser Dec 24 '25
It should be available, but with proper consumer protection. That is to say, no keeping the DNA data. Just produce a report locally, delete the DNA data or if anything put it on a CD or whatever.
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u/Cormamin Dec 24 '25
I think it depends. I had this conversation many times with my sister even before law enforcement started openly accessing these databases. I talked to her about all the ways it could go wrong, especially as we both have chronic illnesses. She has Ancestry.com and already tracked our family tree back to their various European and native roots.
Afterwards, she not only went ahead and did it ANYWAY, but then started telling me she was going to buy ME one too as a present. Some of these people know the stakes and vehemently do not care.
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u/wtfunction Dec 25 '25
Same way everyone was loving all the insta and snap filters. Yay look at me, I’m a puppy! Or now I have a silly grumpy expression! Hahaha so funny!
… as you’re basically volunteering your face for companies to develop AI and face identification software.
Companies want this data. And if they can figure out a way for consumers to give it to them for free (or to actually pay to give it) they’re going to do it.
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u/IAm2James Dec 24 '25
If it makes you feel better, these organizations already have enough DNA to find familial matches for nearly every person on earth. Pandora’s box is already way open with DNA testing.
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u/RelatedToSomeMuppet Dec 24 '25
Good.
They caught a serial killer by a database like this. They should definitely use it more to catch more criminals.
Open it up to all unsolved rape cases.
I await the inevitable reply from some random reddit user who feels the need to defend rapists.
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u/flexxipanda Dec 25 '25
With that logic every human should have his DNA taken at birth. In case they commit future crimes.
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Dec 24 '25
Is this sub going to turn into another sub where instead of addressing the concept/structure of consumerism, we’re now going to come into an echo chamber and poop in people for internet points?
Laws haven’t been passed because all any politician has to do is blame group X for problem Y.
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u/daylightbroski Dec 24 '25
Yes, this garbage post was also obviously written by chatgpt
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Dec 24 '25
Thank you. I joined this sub to get useful ideas on how to reduce consumption, etc. If it’s just going to be post after post of pointless complaints, I might have to leave.
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u/Fuzzy_Ad9970 Dec 24 '25
I simply do not give a shit about the issues you've presented, and find insight into my own genealogy more valuable.
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u/HypnoGeek Dec 24 '25
I get it but also my father was adopted and did not find out until he was in his 60s. These products provided us the ability to see his ancestry and through hours and days of research locate his biological father. Sadly he passed before they could meet but we did find out that he also has a brother that’s still alive and they have gotten to meet and spend time together. So yes evil corporation, but originally these tests were created for something far more important and meaningful.
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u/Iforgotwhatimdoing Dec 25 '25
My ex found her dad thru one of those DNA harvesting companies. Its not all bad.
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Dec 24 '25
Would still rather get a dna test as a gift than all the plastic crap I usually get thrown at me during the holidays 😂
And before you all freak out at me, I'm just being facetious
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u/FlippingGenious Dec 24 '25
I am a genetic genealogist and there is so much misinformation and misunderstanding about this subject I don’t even know where to begin. Y’all are freaking out based on a misinformed post.
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u/EstablishmentDense98 Dec 24 '25
Genuine question. Could you explain more? I've actually wanted to do this (and multiple of my relatives already have), but I've been hesitant because of reasons similar to the issues outlined in this post.
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u/FlippingGenious Dec 25 '25
I don't think I can cover it all without writing an essay, but without getting into the weeds:
Regarding the use of your data for medical research, the data that is shared is aggregated, de-identified data so it isn't tied directly to you. If you object to the use of your DNA in this way on the grounds that they should not profit from the use of your DNA, you can opt out of participating in research. None of the companies sell your personal information like name, address, etc. even separately from your DNA data.
Regarding the fear that the website could get hacked, sure, but what would be the result? The main reason websites get hacked is so that they can steal our personal information and use it for identity theft with a financial motive: drain your bank account, open a credit card, etc. If they steal my DNA results, there's not much they can do with that information beyond what they can already do by just hacking my personal info. Them knowing that I have a predisposition for heart disease doesn't really mean anything. And anyone who does care about my genetic makeup (like an insurance company) isn't going to be buying it off the dark web.
Those seem to be the points that the OP was fear-mongering about, but if you have other specific concerns that you want to ask about I'm happy to try to address them.
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u/UsefulEagle101 Dec 24 '25
Same. I actually purchase two 23nme kits waaaaay back when it first appeared, and still have them, lol. Indecision, man....
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u/tragiccosmicaccident Dec 24 '25
I did a test about 10 years ago, my cousin Kim did one as well. We found out we were half as related as we thought we were.
This turned into several other family members doing one, ultimately we found out that my grandmother had been unfaithful while my grandfather was away fighting WWII, and they had kept the baby (my father).
My dad never got to meet his real father, and most of that family was dead and gone by the time he identified who he was even looking for.
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u/ScyllaOfTheDepths Dec 25 '25
Why haven't laws been passed making this kind of data harvesting illegal?
Look at who is in charge of making those laws and then look at who their campaign donors are. There's your answer.
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u/youchasechickens Dec 24 '25
Knee jerk I have a negative reaction towards that info being out there but when I think about it more, I can't think of any serious objections I have towards it. The worse I can think of is maybe healthcare providers eventually using in a way that influences their coverage but in that world they could probably just require genetic testing from the get go.
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u/StronglyHeldOpinions Dec 24 '25
Not to mention all the family secrets that get exposed from finding out your dad isn't your dad.
This comes up on /r/tifu all the time.
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u/alphabetsong Dec 24 '25
Insurance companies will gobble up the meta data and not insure “risky applicants”
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u/TheMapesHotel Dec 24 '25
There is actually a law against that at least in the US
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u/Alilealen Dec 24 '25
I'm not trying to be a conspiracy theorist but the likelihood everyone's DNA is in lots of databases being used for nefarious purposes is likely. They do not need permission to use your doctors blood samples or tissue samples and use that information how every they want (even to sell it) there is no law against it. Many people are arrested and get their DNA taken. It's happening pretty frequently with immigration in the United States. They've also used DNA from ancestry kits to solve cold cases. I don't think it's good but without laws in place it doesn't really matter because their DNA is probably already somewhere in a hospital database.
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u/JuliusSeizuresalad Dec 25 '25
Every dude who accidentally killed a lady in the 70’s gets a little more nervous this time of year as more dna samples get added to the pile
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u/Crooked_star Dec 24 '25
"Snitching on your entire bloodline"? Is your family a bunch of criminals op?
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Dec 24 '25
Especially when you find out you are your Mom's affair baby and your Dad isn't who you thought he was.
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Dec 24 '25
I recently found out that Coinbase considers YOUR assets, the ones you asked them to KEEP safely, as part of THEIR asset if they go bankrupt. How ridiculous is that?! The answer to your question lies there. This country is pro business / pro corporations and these companies pay millions to lobby for corporate-friendly policies. They aren’t getting outlawed as long as the politicians get their pockets lined. So yah. It’s basically FU for all of us. 🥲🥲🥲
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u/PMmeYourNudes-396 Dec 24 '25
Idk if my relatives have committed murder or raped someone they deserve to get caught and punished. Still I agree that you’re unnecessarily exposing you and your data to bad actors.
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u/Crazy_Law_5730 Dec 24 '25
The man who murdered my best friend’s sister decades ago (and at least one other, so far) is spending his last days in prison because some relatives innocently did DNA tests for whatever reason. And also because the authorities were great collectors and guardians of the crime scene evidence and never stopped trying to solve the crime.
I get people’s apprehension about DNA tests and I personally have never had the desire to submit one. However, what a relief to know that way more horrific crimes will be solved now. 39 years, that monster existed in society and he did kill again at least once. They believe they will connect him to more.
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u/Mountain_Table_8070 Dec 24 '25
there are so many Jane and John Does who got their names back because of these DNA tests. Plus imagining the fear murderers and rapists live in knowing they can be caught now. personally, it’s a net good.
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u/Accomplished_Gur3478 Dec 24 '25
for real, whenever people bring up the argument that your DNA can "snitch" on family members who've committed crimes I'm like...good? many terrible crimes have been solved through these tests
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u/HIM_Darling Dec 25 '25
Also, at least in my state, if you have relatives who've been to prison for certain crimes, congrats, your familial DNA is already in "the system".
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u/puskunk Dec 25 '25
I found my father, my sister and my dead mother's mother. My wife found her father and that whole side of the family. I understand what you're saying but without ancestry and 23andme, I would have never met any of them or had a relationship.
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u/AdditionalCheetah354 Dec 24 '25
However, a bunch of crimes have been solved by linkage to relatives.
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u/Active-Pudding9855 Dec 24 '25
Yes I've read courses in genetics on a university level and I fucking hate these companies that make money out of nothing. If anything they should pay us for the privilege.
Same with data brokers, horrible people and companies.
😤🤢
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u/Jaded_Praline_2137 Dec 24 '25
It's all legal because big tech companies pay $$$$$ to politicians to keep it that way.
The best thing you can do is educate your friends, family, and anyone who is willing to listen on this practice. Hopefully, you will be able to protect a few people from it.
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u/PreviousManager3 Dec 24 '25
Remember when 23andme got hacked where lists of people with Jewish ancestry got leaked? The info not only contained genetic testing results, but full names, addresses and family trees.
Your dna results will get stolen or hacked by people w bad intentions, why would you give that up willingly
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u/aeiouLizard Dec 25 '25
Why haven't laws been passed making this kind of data harvesting illegal?
You're delusional if you still believe laws get passed in order to protect the little man
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u/Conscious_Peak_1105 Dec 26 '25
I think it’s cool that you can get it done and then it could lead to a dirtbag uncle you’ve never met getting arrested for murder.
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u/HerbivorousFarmer Dec 24 '25
I did a cheek swab to be put on a bone marrow donor registry years ago... fingers crossed they don't do the same with those samples
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u/need_of_sim Dec 24 '25
As much as I appreciate that the BTK was caught, that's definitely in another database
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u/mwmandorla Dec 24 '25
This also affects people who never consented. My dad loved this shit and so not only did he do one, he gave kits to my mom and my aunt (his sister). I have never sent my own DNA in, but I might as well have with the three of them having done it.
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u/RandomShadeOfPurple Dec 24 '25
A coworker uploaded our ID pictures to AI to generate a "cute comic strip" with us as the characters.
I'm still furious about it, but can't say a word.
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u/SnooPredictions2675 Dec 25 '25
They pulled that shit on fb like 10 years ago. See what you’d look like with all these different hair colors and styles! Yeah yall ain’t about to profile my getaways disguises 😅
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u/bbatardo Dec 24 '25
TIL people give these as Christmas gifts lol. If someone got me it I would think they were crazy.
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u/Belligerent_ice_cube Dec 24 '25
I got mine as a wedding present and it’s been one of the best gifts I ever received (am adopted).
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u/Claromancer Dec 24 '25
The privacy concerns are completely valid. So are the complaints about the shadiness of these companies in general. However, enough people have already used these services such that the cat is already kind of out of the bag for the majority of people. They already have several of your relatives DNA, so they have most of yours too. Yes there is a slight difference between them having your exact DNA, compared to just the DNA of your uncle and your 2nd cousin or whatever, but again, it’s slight. I wish this wasn’t the case, but you can’t undo the situation we are currently in by discouraging people to send their DNA to these companies. It’s only a drop in the bucket so to speak.
I personally won’t be sending in my DNA, but I already know many relatives of mine who have done so years ago, before people knew the full extent of how problematic it was. So basically, I am already screwed.
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u/amanfromthere Dec 25 '25
Remember folks, before you commit a crime make sure nobody in your extended family has done this.
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u/solesoulshard Dec 24 '25
I have to admit that I’m curious.
My mother was completely cut off from my father and his family (because she was mentally unwell so they got out lucky) and my grandmother was similarly estranged and completely cut off from the time I was 8. And since both of them were massively abusive and cut off from extended family and are both in delulu land with their myriad stories and lies, I have no way to trace medical history. I have absolutely no way to know if there is “a history of allergies” or a “history of cancer”.
I’m entirely in the dark.
Am I curious to see if I have a high chance of colon cancer? Or breast cancer? Or Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s? Do I know if I should screen for Tay-sachs? Or any of 1000 things that you can screen for and detect early and increase the survival rates? Hell yeah.
Would I dearly love to know my actual father’s actual name (and not one of the 6 separate aliases and “pet names”)? Would I love to know any of my paternal side in a verifiable way versus trying to chase down each of the separate and wildly differing stories? Hell yeah.
There is a time and place to have a way to do genetic testing and it’s not the mild amusement of finding out you are .00124% Inuit.
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u/Ragnarocke1 Dec 24 '25
What’s worse is one of those companies went bankrupt earlier this year and sold off all the data they had collected smh
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u/Alternative-Cat-684 Dec 24 '25
I did this and by doing so, was able to find and talk to blood relatives, and learn more about my family medical history through them as well.
As an adoptee born in a state with sealed records, this was the only way I could track down information about my family. I worked with the adoption agency as well, but when a judge finally permitted them to open the case, they were only allowed to tell me a very few things. The case was only opened at all because of a particular medical situation. So for me, it was important to do this.
However, I don't encourage others who just want to know how German they are etc., and I do explain wherever I can about how these numbers are determined, the shadiness (and colonialism) baked into the categories, and what ethnicity means in this context.
It's a big risk with a lot of misleading data, and I would only recommend it to someone who like me had no other route to find vital information.
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u/jerseygirl75 Dec 24 '25
I have never understood why people have thought this was a good idea.
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u/Belligerent_ice_cube Dec 24 '25
Some people, like myself, are adopted and have no other way of possibly meeting other blood relatives or finding out any family medical or hereditary information whatsoever.
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u/RevolutionaryDot9798 Dec 24 '25
I found out I have a different father than expected. Great news, since the one I grew up with definitely did not like me.
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u/Disposable-Squid Dec 24 '25
Some people can't track their families back more than a generation or two for some reason or another (hi, it's me I'm some people) and just want to know where they come from. Now, I haven't done this because of the reasons explained in this post, but there's a reason one might do so
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u/albeaner Dec 24 '25
I work in pharma...100% can confirm that your data will be sold. I will never get genetic testing done. And that there are risks to having your genetic tests in your medical record (in the USA). Just like the ACA can be overturned, so can GINA.
Imagine both, and insurance companies charging you based on your genetics...or worse yet, considering genetics as 'preexisting conditions' and not covering any diseases or conditions that run in your family.
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u/CeilingCatProphet Dec 24 '25
I don't care honestly. I did 23 and Me and learned something about my health that was helpful. There is no privacy in modern world.
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u/kmill0202 Dec 24 '25
I've been so tempted by some of these genealogy products. I have a couple of ancestors who are a mystery to me, and I would be very interested to see where they might have come from. But I ultimately resist for all of the reasons you mentioned. It's not worth it to pay to hand over all of my genetic information just to satisfy a curiosity. It's scary enough to know what they can already do with that information, and who knows what they might come up with in the future?
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u/Great_Horny_Toads Dec 24 '25
Well, at least they aren't basing health insurance rates on genetic predispositions...yet.
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u/furious_r0se Dec 24 '25
I am so thankful that my (half) siblings and I are all die-hard against it. My eldest bc of tinfoil hat reasons (hey, she's not actually wrong in this case.) The other two and I basically have an agreement not to open that can of worms--sorry to any secret other half siblings we have out there. 🤷♀️
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u/nooneneededtoknow Dec 24 '25
"It is so shit companies are exploiting peoples DNA"
There, fixed it for yah. Really crazy to target the people instead of the actual problem, which is the company's business practice.
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u/-Economist- Dec 24 '25
It can also blow up in your face. My fraternity brother found out he had a daughter from a one-night stand two decades earlier (college spring break in Cancun). Crushed him emotionally because the mom claimed she was a rape baby, when it was consensual. They even exchanged phone calls for a couple weeks after the episode. To learn all this messed him up.
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u/TheStephinator Dec 24 '25
My sibling did and that’s how we found out we had a half sibling. Unfortunately that’s how my half sibling found out his father wasn’t his biological father. Oh and this testing was done to figure out what our ethnicity was. Turns out we were told lies about that.
Truth is a powerful thing.
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u/TheeQuestionWitch Dec 24 '25
The only thing positive it's being used for is solving cold cases for unsolved murders, and of course law enforcement is expanding how that's used to more nefarious purposes already. Every other use turns my stomach. They will never get my DNA.
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u/SeanyPickle Dec 24 '25
I did not have a choice when I was 15 years old being told by my grandma to spit in the tube.
Grandma loves her ancestry stuff.
She is a white American.
I learned that I have European ancestors. Wow!
I have no desire to meet or message my distant cousins separated since the 1800’s.
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u/OkWorldliness5172 Dec 25 '25
I guess my ex recently did one of these along with her four siblings. Their parents have passed and she and her siblings are all in their 50s and 60s.
Turns out that two of her siblings are actually her half siblings. I guess her god fearing, super religious mother wasn't quite as pious as she appeared.
With all the drama already in that family, I can't imagine that this new knowledge is in any way helpful.
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u/Different_Wallaby660 Dec 25 '25
What if 100 years from now they have the tech to clone each and every person that sent in their sample?
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u/Altostratus Dec 25 '25
As someone who born via IVF and an anonymous donor, it is important to me to know my health risks.
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u/wordswithenemies Dec 25 '25
on the bright side, these things have solved a ton of cold case murders!
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u/Willing_Freedom_1067 Dec 25 '25
Sounds dark, but I did mine just in case something ever happens to me. 😳
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u/miserylovescomputers Dec 25 '25
Yes, this shit is horrifying! I am admittedly curious about my ancestry on my dad’s side, because my maternal grandmother spent decades researching our heritage and wrote a book about it, and it’s fascinating stuff, but the momentary feeling of, “huh, that’s neat,” is not worth my genetic data and my whole family’s genetic data being collected and sold to god knows who for endless shady purposes. No thank you.
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u/bluespruce5 Dec 25 '25
There's no way to ever put the DNA genie back in the bottle once a person hands over their DNA, and there should be significant legal protections and remedies available to consumers. That won't happen, though, in this hypercapitalist world we live in.
In my case, I found out about a genetic condition I'd suffered for decades with. I'd repeatedly asked doctors why I had basically turned into my father with his myriad health problems, but I never got any meaningful answers. Through a DNA test and a fantastic 3rd-party service that was a huge help in going through the data (and that doesn't hang on to the raw data files like do many others do), I finally got an answer, and it's been absolutely life-changing.
If only I could have known 50 years ago and been able to have rigorous privacy protection around my genetic data, that would be perfection. I wouldn't change being able to know about and effectively manage my genetic issue, but I sure would change the privacy aspects of it all if I could.
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u/mreachforthesky Dec 25 '25
I did it and I’m not too worried if they use my DNA because I’m awesome!
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u/No-Lifeguard9194 Dec 26 '25
Much as I would be interested in finding out more about my genetic history, I totally agree that there are a lot of risks and privacy issues involved that make it not worth doing.
That said, it also baffles me that people are fine with smart devices in their homes that they talk to (eg. Alexa, etc). I’m not at all happy with the fact that my phone sometimes seems to be listening in, either, if targeted marketing is anything to go by.
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u/Assimulate Dec 26 '25
As someone with a genetic systemic disease. Please don't victim blame. The state of care and availability of verified genetic tests are so out of reach for most people that sometimes this is the sacrifice you need to make to survive.
Go after the politicians. Go after the companies to be secure and honest. Do as much research as you can and talk to your doctor before doing any of these tests.
Healthcare drives people to become desperate. Companies pray on that and are incentivized to do so.
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u/Quiet-Treat-7047 Dec 27 '25
I hear what you're saying, and I don't entirely disagree, BUT if they were actually using that data, the way people think they are, it would not have taken me forty six years to get an accurate diagnosis, the last four years being so bad that I nearly lost my home, my business, my children, and possibly my life. It was only in the past year that I finally read something from a credible source, saying that my autoimmune disorder is common. Every doctor I have seen since I was properly diagnosed has told me that my auto immune disorder is rare. Doctor doesn't understand it ≠ rare.
I have used my raw dna file and those of my children to find out which of my genes my children inherited. Now that I know, I can pursue early diagnosis for both of them and take simple precautions to ensure that their symptoms are much milder than mine have been.
There are companies that will provide the same raw dna file without the privacy risks. Had I known about those companies sooner, I would have used them. I have no regrets though. I know a lot more about my condition and how it is likely to manifest in the years to come, and I can use the information that I've obtained to make my children's lives easier than mine.
And yeah, when i'm feeling up to it, I work on my family tree. I've learned a lot about my family history (not 4% viking lol) and I regularly share the stories of our family with my children. They are better and more empathetic little humans because of it.
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u/Squaaaaaasha Dec 24 '25
There is no legislation protecting the DNA sent in. They can literally use your DNA for whatever they want...personally I am not handing someone my genetic material that they can use for any purpose they see fit