It is common sense that one’s privacy should be respected when their genomic information is tested, used for research, or other purposes. Federal laws aim to balance efforts to promote scientific progress and protect an individual’s privacy. This presents a challenge for genomic data, because each person’s DNA sequence is unique, meaning a DNA sample can never be truly anonymized (May, 2018). In view of this, I think that the current regulations and voluntary privacy policies for the DNA testing companies are insufficient to protect everyone’s privacy. While this type of testing has benefits to the individual, it, however, introduces new risks to one’s privacy such as the misuse of genetic information (May, 2018). Even though the access to such information is restricted, concerns remain as to the use of genomic information to discriminate against certain individuals or to reveal sensitive or embarrassing information to the third parties.
Who Should Access DNA Information? Ethics & Benefits
When I think about who should have access to the DNA information, I believe that healthcare professionals, government agencies, and law enforcement agencies should be allowed to use one’s genomic information. After all, this should benefit the entire society and improve our welfare. Specifically, healthcare professionals doing disease research and government agencies studying public health can make groundbreaking discoveries which can prolong human life or help find remedies for certain health conditions (Molteni, 2019). The DNA information, if used by law enforcement, can help find missing persons, investigate criminal acts, find potential leads, or exonerate those who have been falsely convicted of crime acts (Kennett, 2019). Of course, the desire to protect one’s privacy is understandable, and we should have better control over how our data is collected, accessed, used in research, corrected, and deleted. To do so, we should read the privacy policy and terms and conditions to ensure that we know what and how our genomic information could be used for and whether it could be shared with third parties.
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References
Kennett, D. (2019). Using genetic genealogy databases in missing persons cases and to develop suspect leads in violent crimes.
discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10077630/Kennett_2019_AAM_Using%20genetic%20genealogy%20databases%20FSI%20preprint.pdf
May, T. (2018). Sociogenetic risks – Ancestry DNA testing, third-party identity, and protection of privacy. The New England Journal of Medicine, 379, 410-412.
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp15870
Molteni, M. (2019). The WIRED guide to genetic testing: Everything you need to know about DNA, medical breakthroughs and genetic privacy.
https://www.wired.com/story/what-is-genetic-testing/
FAQ
Can my DNA ever be fully anonymous?
No, since DNA is unique to every individual, it can never be anonymized.
What are the risks of DNA data being shared?
Who benefits from access to my DNA?
Healthcare professionals for medical research, government agencies for public health, and law enforcement for crime investigations.
How can I protect my DNA privacy?
Is DNA testing worth the risk?
Nonetheless, I still believe that researching this topic is important, because vitamins do provide the benefits they claim to provide. I think this is the most important aspect that I would like everyone to know about this topic, as I believe we should take our vitamins regularly and combine them with a healthy balanced diet if we want to achieve our health and wellness goals.
