DNA Results and Your Privacy

Hello Everyone! Alissa, Clan Macneil USA Genealogist, here.

In light of the recent news that DNA led to the capture of the Golden State Killer, many have asked if that means their DNA results have been used or compromised. I'm posting to shed light on DNA results.

If you don't already know, if you test with companies such as Ancestry.com, 23andMe, or FamilyTreeDNA, your DNA is subject to privacy rights. These companies' terms of service dictate that they will not be used or sold unless a Court of Law issues a direct warrant to use a very specific DNA result.

This is NOT what happened in the case of the Golden State Killer (GSK).

Instead, police uploaded the GSK's DNA sequence to GEDmatch in the hopes of a match to someone else. GEDmatch is a voluntary service where an individual CHOOSES to upload his or her own DNA results to allow for more matches than any one company can provide. GEDmatch is designed to allow anyone from anywhere testing with any company to share and compare results. It's considered a free and public service. The terms of service to use GEDmatch warns that because it's free and public that anyone might use what's there for other-than-genealogical purposes.

If you feel that this is something you cannot support, GEDmatch recommends you remove your DNA file from their site. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to reply here or email me, Alissa, at clanmacneilusagenealogy@gmail.com.