{"id":8660,"date":"2019-01-16T15:56:49","date_gmt":"2019-01-16T20:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/?p=882"},"modified":"2024-08-08T11:02:55","modified_gmt":"2024-08-08T15:02:55","slug":"dna-test-ancestry-dna-23andme-gift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/dna-test-ancestry-dna-23andme-gift\/","title":{"rendered":"You Got a DNA Test Kit: Now What? Staying Private with Ancestry DNA, 23andMe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block uk-card-default uk-padding\" style=\"font-size:16px\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h4>Table of Contents<\/h4><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#dna-testing-can-seriously-compromise-your-privacy\">DNA Testing Can Seriously Compromise Your Privacy\n<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#giving-up-your-most-personal-information-how-ancestry-23-and-me-and-other-companies-are-using-your-data\">Giving Up Your Most Personal Information: How Ancestry, 23andMe, and Other Companies are Using Your Data\n<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#how-to-use-dna-tests-while-maintaining-your-privacy\">How to Use DNA Tests While Maintaining Your Privacy<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#while-buying-your-test\">While Buying Your Test:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#while-taking-your-test-or-if-you-have-already-taken-your-test\">While Taking Your Test, or if You Have Already Taken Your Test:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#after-youve-received-dna-test-results\">After You\u2019ve Received DNA Test Results:<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#if-you-havent-taken-a-test-but-a-family-member-has\">If You Haven\u2019t Taken a Test, But a Family Member Has:<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#its-never-too-late-to-take-control-of-your-online-privacy\">It\u2019s never too late to take control of your online privacy.\n<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#about-abine\">About Abine\n<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Concerned about your privacy while using a DNA test from Ancestry DNA, 23andMe, or other DNA testing company? You should be. Use this guide to stay private while using at-home DNA test kits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dna-testing-can-seriously-compromise-your-privacy\"><strong>DNA Testing Can Seriously Compromise Your Privacy<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This holiday season, at-home DNA test kits were once again one of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/technology\/2018\/12\/29\/dna-testing-kits-set-years-hot-christmas-gift-happens-data\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">most popular gifts<\/a><\/strong>. If you\u2019ve received one, have already taken one, or know a family member who took one, you may be wondering what the test might mean for your privacy.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using an at-home DNA test means sending your most personal identifier away to a for-profit company, and isn\u2019t something to be taken lightly. As <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.triplepundit.com\/special\/data-privacy-symantec-series-2018\/dna-testing-popular-privacy-concerns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Peter Pitts<\/a><\/strong>, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest Forensic Genetics Policy Initiative, explains, \u201cThe DNA kits are being viewed as stocking stuffers or cocktail party conversation. People don\u2019t think about the security of their DNA as they don\u2019t realize its value.\u201d <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"giving-up-your-most-personal-information-how-ancestry-23-and-me-and-other-companies-are-using-your-data\"><strong>Giving Up Your Most Personal Information: How Ancestry, 23andMe, and Other Companies are Using Your Data<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you send your saliva sample to a company to be tested, you are giving them your <strong>most personal information<\/strong>: your entire genome, your browsing activity on their website, the information you provide when making an account (like your name and email), your sex\/gender, date of birth, credit card number, answers to any health or behavior-related surveys on their site (which can include disease conditions, ethnicity, and other health info), and more.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to providing you with the service you expect, i.e. information about your ancestry and genetic health,<strong> they share your personal information with third parties<\/strong>, just like any other online service.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I don\u2019t just mean the information they have to share with the lab to provide their service. Companies also sell their data to research partners, marketers, and others. For example, Ancestry DNA\u2019s Terms and Conditions state that by sending them your DNA, \u201c<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/cs\/legal\/termsandconditions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">you grant Ancestry and the Ancestry Group Companies a royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable, transferable license to host, transfer, process, analyze, distribute and communicate your genetic information for the purposes of providing products and services.<\/a><\/strong>\u201d <br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is pretty scary: it shows that the firms are monetizing your DNA, and it\u2019s so vague that you don\u2019t really know to whom or for what reason your data is sold or used.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the exact reason why Senator Chuck Schumer has <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.schumer.senate.gov\/newsroom\/press-releases\/schumer-reveals-popular-at-home-dna-test-kits-are-putting-consumer-privacy-at-great-risk-as-dna-firms-could-sell-your-most-personal-info-and-genetic-data-to-all-comers-senator-pushes-feds-to-investigate_ensure-fair-privacy-standards-for-all-dna-kits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">called for a Federal Trade Commission investigation of DNA test companies<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most obvious examples of these companies sharing data is with research partners: Between 2006 and 2016, 23andMe sold its database to at least <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"13 different drug companies (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/s\/601506\/23andme-sells-data-for-drug-search\/\" target=\"_blank\">13 different drug companies<\/a><\/strong>, most recently making a four-year deal with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, allowing them to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2018\/09\/05\/23andme-underscores-that-privacy-loving-customers-need-to-opt-out-of-its-data-deal-with-glaxosmithkline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">exclusively mine 23andMe\u2019s customer data<\/a><\/strong> to develop drugs.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Every time your information changes hands, it becomes less safe. And, just like any other company, DNA testing companies are susceptible to data breaches. Even if it is not sold by the DNA company itself, it could end up in the hands of data brokers (especially if you\u2019ve used <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/ancestry-dna-protect-your-privacy-and-delete-your-account\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Ancestry<\/a><\/strong>, which owns it own DNA broker site, <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Archives.com (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Archives.com<\/a><\/strong>.) This can leave you open to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Financial fraud, stalking, identity theft, and more:<\/strong> if somebody is able to get a hold of your personal information&#8211;such as your date of birth, address, or credit card number&#8211;they can take advantage of you with these pieces of data.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Genetic discrimination:<\/strong> although the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act protects Americans from this kind of sharing, there are <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.deseretnews.com\/article\/900018325\/is-dna-testing-telling-us-more-than-we-want-to-know-the-untold-story-of-ancestrycom.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">gaps in the law<\/a><\/strong> that allow insurance providers and the military to make decisions based on DNA results. For example, while health insurance companies cannot access the direct test results that you receive from the DNA test kit, you are required to tell them if you know about certain health risks, and this will affect your insurance premiums.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We took the time to rate the differences in privacy of the five biggest DNA testing companies: Ancestry DNA, 23andMe, MyHeritage, Helix, and Family Tree DNA. Compare privacy scores of these companies <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/dna-testing-kits-does-privacy-matter-to-ancestry-dna-and-23andme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-use-dna-tests-while-maintaining-your-privacy\"><strong>How to Use DNA Tests While Maintaining Your Privacy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"while-buying-your-test\"><strong>While Buying Your Test:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>When accessing the website to order your test kit, use a <strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"VPN (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abine.com\/blog\/2018\/online-tracking-protection-blur-vpn\/\" target=\"_blank\">VPN<\/a><\/strong> to make sure that your connection is secure and that your Internet Service Provider or Wifi Provider can\u2019t view your browsing activities. Then, use <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dnt.abine.com\/#feature\/tracking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Blur\u2019s Tracker Blocker<\/a><\/strong> to ensure that data collection companies aren\u2019t recording your activity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here, you can compare the number of trackers used by each site:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dnt.abine.com\/#feature\/masking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Masked Info<\/a><\/strong> with Blur to stay as private as possible. First, use a Masked Card to buy your kit. This will allow you to create a \u201cvirtual credit &nbsp;card\u201d, so that the company will not have your real credit card number. If there is a hack or a breach, your real credit card  information stays safe because they don\u2019t have it. You can also use any name you want while using the Blur Masked Card billing address &#8211; keeping your billing information private. You&#8217;ll still need to use your real shipping address in order to receive your kit in the mail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While ordering your kit, you can also use Blur to mask your email address and phone number. This information will still work&#8211;emails will be forwarded to your regular email, but the company will not have your real email address and be able to sell it, and thus marketers will not be able to link your account to your other online accounts to build your \u2018online profile\u2019. Then, if Ancestry is sending you spam, you can turn off email forwarding, or just delete the email address altogether.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"while-taking-your-test-or-if-you-have-already-taken-your-test\"><strong>While Taking Your Test, or if You Have Already Taken Your Test:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Once your test comes in the mail, you will have to register your kit online. Use your masked email from Blur to login to your account. If you have already registered your kit, you can change any information that is in your profile to masked information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Skip any survey questions about your health information; this is personal information they use to build your online profile.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take your saliva sample and send it back to the company. If you are using 23andMe, you can request that your spit is disposed of after they have gotten the lab results. If you are using another company, you will have to contact the company to make this request after you\u2019ve received your results.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Opt-out of any consent for research, or profile sharing (such as a public family tree). Make sure any information in your profile is private, and only put information that is strictly necessary. It\u2019s okay to put false information.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even with all of these steps, remember: when giving away your DNA, you are giving away your most sensitive personal identifier. You can change your credit card number, or even your social security number, but you can\u2019t change your DNA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"after-youve-received-dna-test-results\"><strong>After You\u2019ve Received DNA Test Results:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>If you haven\u2019t yet, request that your saliva sample is discarded and that you have opted out of research and data sharing, as explained above.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be cautious if your DNA service offers to tell you about risks for disease. If you are aware of certain risks, such as for Alzheimer\u2019s and Parkinson\u2019s, your insurance company might require you to disclose what you know about your genetic health. Be aware of what you are getting into when taking these tests.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Use DeleteMe to stay safe from data brokers. (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Use DeleteMe to stay safe from data brokers.<\/a><\/strong> Although you have put masked information in your account, you will want to make sure that none of your real data has gotten into the wrong hands. Data brokers&#8211;such as Whitepages, BeenVerified, and Spokeo&#8211;crawl the web for the kind of personal information used when creating new accounts, and post that information on their sites. It\u2019s likely that you they have already created a listing for you&#8211;<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/how-deleteme-improves-google-search-results-remove-whitepages-intelius-been-verified\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">just a quick Google search can reveal which sites have created a listing for you<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>This step is especially important if you have used Ancestry DNA. Since part of Ancestry\u2019s service is learning about your heritage through public records, there is a great deal of personal information about you and your family that can be found on their site. In fact, Ancestry owns its own data broker,<strong> <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Archives.com<\/a><\/strong>. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/blog\/ancestry-dna-protect-your-privacy-and-delete-your-account\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Read more about Ancestry\u2019s use of personal information here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"if-you-havent-taken-a-test-but-a-family-member-has\"><strong>If You Haven\u2019t Taken a Test, But a Family Member Has:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As of October 2018, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/early\/2018\/10\/10\/science.aau4832\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">60% of Americans of Northern European descent can be identified through the companies\u2019 databases<\/a><\/strong>, whether or not they\u2019ve joined one themselves. Within two or three years, this will become 90%. The same study also showed how genetic profiles that DNA companies supposedly \u201canonymized\u201d could be positively identified. This means that even if you haven\u2019t personally taken a DNA test, it is likely that you are still able to be identified through a DNA company\u2019s database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"its-never-too-late-to-take-control-of-your-online-privacy\"><strong>It\u2019s never too late to take control of your online privacy.<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can reduce your online footprint by using Blur and DeleteMe. Blur helps you to keep your information private, by allowing you to create accounts and shop online without giving away your contact and financial information. DeleteMe helps you to get rid of what\u2019s already out there, preventing strangers, thieves, hackers, and cyber criminals from taking advantage of you.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"about-abine\"><strong>About Abine<\/strong><br><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Abine, Inc.<\/a><\/strong> is The Online Privacy Company. Founded in 2009 by MIT engineers and financial experts, Abine\u2019s mission is to provide easy-to-use online privacy tools and services to everybody who wants them. Abine\u2019s tools are built for consumers to help them control the personal information companies, third parties, and other people see about them online.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"DeleteMe (opens in a new tab)\">DeleteMe<\/a><\/strong> by Abine is a hands-free subscription service that removes personal information from public online databases, data brokers, and people search websites.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dnt.abine.com\/#premiumreg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">Blur<\/a><\/strong> by Abine is the only password manager and digital wallet that also blocks trackers, and helps users remain private online by providing \u2018Masked\u2019 information whenever companies are asking for personal information.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abine\u2019s solutions have been trusted by over 25 million people worldwide.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Concerned about your privacy while using a DNA test from Ancestry DNA, 23andMe, or other DNA testing company? You should be. Use this guide to stay private while using at-home DNA test kits. DNA Testing Can Seriously Compromise Your Privacy This holiday season, at-home DNA test kits were once again one of the most popular [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":5388,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-privacy-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joindeleteme.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}