Day 4,111—All about DNA Testing—

 

Early on in the DNA testing craze, I listened to various experts discuss the benefits and potential privacy concerns associated with DNA testing on NPR. It was mostly focused on whether law enforcement should be able to use DNA testing to identify serial killers and solve other cold cases. Nobody had a definitive answer, but at that time, law enforcement had successfully used the data to solve cases, and for the next ten years, more high-profile cases were being solved using DNA testing databases like 23 and Me.

         This is one of the many benefits associated with DNA testing. The other, more future-oriented goal is to be able to link genetic disorders through DNA testing to help future scientists discover cures for diseases. Also, now that we know that we inherit trauma experienced by our ancestors and all kinds of other DNA factors that contribute to who we are, there is a plethora of personal benefits from knowing your genetic makeup. It is also a great way to see how diverse an individual is compared to growing up believing that you’re white American, for example.

         I was happy to take the test and see my makeup. It made me feel more confident about things I had assumed about my past, but it also surprised me to learn that I was not 100 percent from Europe, as I had previously thought. However, I found when I mentioned any of this to anyone, they looked at me as if to say, “You naïve fool! Don’t you know how risky it is to give your DNA makeup to those people!?”

         These are the same people who are on facebook, Google, and YouTube. Those systems have such sophisticated algorithms that they can identify if you’re about to get a divorce or if you’re gay. They also can tap into your worst instincts and biases to continue to give you content that validates your harmful perspective, but they’re worried about what unknown corporations are going to do with your DNA profile in the future?

         So, I asked everyone who brought it up what concerned them about contributing to science, fighting crime, and understanding who they are. They told me that they were concerned with the possibility of genetic profiling being used to discriminate against them. Currently, the president is using social media footprints to target his political enemies and discriminate against anyone who was associated with a person who was against him. These individuals think that suddenly society will take a step back from using social media to target people, but will use genetic information instead?

        It is more than a little far-fetched, and I would encourage you to consider that it is possible that conservative-leaning groups don’t want the average white conservative to know that they’re in fact not all white. They most likely have some kind of minority in their genetics, and just knowing that might make them less likely to identify with a white patriarchal society; instead, they might realize that the policies that they’re supporting aren’t just hurting other people, but the kind of people responsible for their existence. If you’re against DNA testing, then I strongly encourage you to not use any website that collects your data because, unlike DNA testing, social media is currently being used to target individuals for corporate profit and for government discrimination.