In 2018, genetic data uploaded to a free website called GEDmatch enabled law enforcement agencies to track down a man thought to be responsible for decades-old murders and rapes, known as the “Golden State Killer”. By taking DNA from the crime scene and comparing it to those available on the site, agencies could identify the man’s relatives and track him down.
I think we are all in favor of catching criminals, but it becomes worrisome when Big Pharma, insurance companies, and law enforcement have all your genetic data just because you got your DNA sequenced with the wrong company.
Both 23andMe and Ancestry say the companies won’t willingly share genetic data with law enforcement agencies, but they may be forced to if given a court order. When companies are big enough, they become targets by Big Pharma, insurance companies, hackers, and law enforcement.
This is especially true when you don’t have any option to delete your data. Basically, once you get sequenced with one of these big companies, your data is owned by them, not YOU. This idea is obviously ridiculous and also why they still have the data to give if it’s requested by law enforcement.
YOU should have full control over YOUR data, and if you want to delete it, you should be able to.
At SelfDecode we take data privacy very seriously and we do things like encrypt data, and separate identifying information from genetics and health information. Given our philosophy, we will never sell your data or give your data away.
In addition, you can always delete your data. So, even if your data was court ordered, we wouldn’t even be able to provide it to them if we tried and there would be no way of tracing it back to any of our users.
Data Privacy and Big Pharma
Data privacy is a serious concern when it comes to sequencing your genetics.
Essentially, it’s become the business model of the largest consumer genetics companies to sell your data to pharmaceutical companies.
Companies such as 23andme, Ancestry, Myheritage and other companies make their profits from selling people’s data, and this is very concerning.
This is such a big concern among people, that revenue has started to decline for these companies. Genetic testing companies 23andMe and Ancestry are laying off staff as sales of their DNA tests decline – and this started before the economic crisis hit.
This has not escaped the scrutiny of the government. According to Senator Schumer [1]:
- “Here’s what many consumers don’t realize, that their sensitive information can end up in the hands of unknown third-party companies”.
- “There are no prohibitions, and many companies say that they can still sell your information to other companies.”
- “Now, this is sensitive information, and what those companies can do with all that data, our sensitive and deepest information, your genetics, is not clear and in some cases not fair and not right”
As a result of data privacy issues and other companies selling your information, we decided to start offering our own DNA kits. We decided we would sell them at cost in order to compete on price with larger companies, who make their money from selling your data.
Test your DNA securely!
We are officially celebrating the launch of international shipping for our DNA kit. People around the world have been waiting for this so that they can get their genes tested and start implementing their personalized health recommendations to combat their risks.
People want our DNA kit because it is highly secure, it’s extremely accurate and tests for more SNPs than other companies like 23andMe, Ancestry or My Heritage.
Containing over 700,000 SNPs that significantly influence health risks, including genes such as MTHFR, ApoE, COMT, Vitamin D Receptor (VDR), HLA variants, and many more, our kit will provide the insight we need to provide you with the most comprehensive health reports and actionable recommendations.
Getting your DNA kit is easy! Just head over to SelfDecode and click the “+” to add a DNA kit when you select your annual or lifetime plan.
Already have your genes tested with another company?
You can upload your existing DNA file from other services like 23andme, Ancestry, My Heritage, whole genome files and more directly to SelfDecode. Even though your data may have already been sold or given away by the other company, you still have the opportunity to securely and confidently explore your health through your DNA.
You’ll get instant access to your personalized reports based on your DNA file so that you can start implementing changes right away. Just sign up for SelfDecode and get started!
