Genetic Tracking

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Many Americans, and many people around the world, have become intent on learning more about their heritage.  As of 2019, Ancestry DNA, FamilyTree DNA, and MyHeritage are three of the most popular United States companies providing that service.  And their genetic-based procedure is simple—a saliva sample or cheek swab—and affordable—well under $200.  One could argue that the procedure and price are worth the return.  Worth the return, that is, if the return turns out to be consistent with your expectations.  But, in some cases, you might be giving far more than you realize.

As you track down your ancestors, others may be using the genetic profile that you paid for to track you.  The tracker could be virtually anyone with virtually any purpose, and the methods are many.  Sui-Lee Wee of the New York Times wrote about a particularly sinister possibility.

In her article, Ms. Sui-Lee Wee claimed that the Chinese government has compiled a  DNA database that they are using to keep track of dissidents.  The Muslim Uighurs is one central target.  And the tracking was enabled by the government’s providing free physical examinations for all citizens during which authorities surreptitiously procured the coveted DNA.

Of course, Americans can dismiss the reported surveillance as something totally unrelated to the United States.  That is not so easy to do, however, since Sui-Lee noted that the Chinese were assisted, wittingly or unwittingly, by genetic material supplied by Yale geneticist, Kenneth Kidd, and by equipment from made by Massachusetts’ Thermo Fisher Company.  Genetic tracking also is being pursued by American authorities.  For instance, DNA information obtained from individuals enrolled on Ancestry.com is being used to match crime scene DNA (Nadeau, 2018). 

The lesson is clear: you never know who will use your information to influence you.  Sometimes the influence could be as trivial as soliciting you for a new computer, sometimes as profound as investigating you for crime.  Whether you submit to a physical examination or investigate your ancestry then, do your best to know who is gathering the information and its potential uses.  Be a little paranoid now and a little less vulnerable later.

References
  
Nadeau, Barbie Latza (2018).  21-Year-Old Murder Case Cracked by Ancestry Quest.  November 10 https://www.thedailybeast.com/21-year-old-lorrie-ann-smith-murder-case-cracked-by-ancestry-quest?ref=scroll


Wee, Sui-Lee (2019). China Uses DNA to Track Its People, With the Help of American Expertise.  February, 21.  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/business/china-xinjiang-uighur-dna-thermo-fisher.html


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