How 23andMe thinks about genetic privacy

If you spit in a tube for a genetic test, does that mean nosy Internet users can find your family? That cold-case sleuths can trawl your genome? Or profit-seeking pharma companies can get rich off your DNA?

We talked to Kate Black, 23andMe’s global privacy officer, about the burgeoning security concerns tied to genetic testing in the age of Facebook data leaks and outcry over digital privacy.

“First and foremost, it’s important to us to make sure that we have a full picture of how our information is being used and how it’s being protected,” she said. “... Unlike Facebook, we are not in a situation where we would kind of open up our database to another set of users for a use set that we’re not familiar with or understand.”

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