There are obvious benefits to DNA testing, such as ancestral discovery and potential disease detection. While those benefits are wonderful, there are also some pretty serious risks that come with taking the big test. While these risks shouldn’t deter you from taking a DNA test, should you wish to, you should also be aware of them and remain cautious throughout the process.
The only way to become aware is to learn, however, so this guide will walk through a few of the more serious risks that you may face when taking a DNA test.
1. Hackers
It seems that everyone is shouting out about the dangers of hackers these days. Their concerns may fall on death ears, as you may have not been affected by their actions personally, but you should still heed the warnings. A hacker can seriously harm your identity in a variety of ways, even when you take a DNA test. If the company that you take the test with is hacked, then your very personal data may be at risk, all the way down to your family tree. The companies must collect some pretty intimate information about you, so the thought of that falling into the wrong hands is chilling to say the least.
2. For Profit DNA
You may not feel like it, but your information can be quite valuable. To the right buyer, that is. When collecting all of this data on you, the company that you are using may just feel inclined to sell off some of the finer parts of your information to research partners. Of course, this is not inherently a bad thing at all, in fact that information may be used to do some good in the world. However, the risk comes in the form of consent. If you do not feel comfortable with your information being used for unknown purposes, then you should be careful to opt out of that option when signing for the test. It’s a simple fix, but an easy mistake to make.
3. Laws and Loopholes
Dealing with personal information is a tricky thing to do, and there have been various laws put into place to keep all dealings on the level. However, the laws seem to be a bit loose altogether and may be filled with plenty of exploitable loopholes that may be abused in order to affect your information. However, there is progress being made on this front each day, so hopefully things will be a bit more safer in the future.
4. Law Enforcement
Law enforcement can and will take your personal information from these companies if they have probable cause. Naturally, this information can be used for very good reasons in the right situations, but the idea of your data being used against you is sure to make more than a few people a little nervous. Therefore, if this is an issue that you foresee yourself having a problem with, then you may need to simply avoid taking a DNA test.
5. Companies can Change Policy
Let’s say that you agree to test with a certain company. Their policies were fair and agreeable, ones that you could really work with in order to get your DNA test done. Well, what if they suddenly alter their agreements and force you into some unfair situations regarding your data? Well, that is something that could possibly happen. It more than likely will not occur, but the possibility is there. You may want to keep that in mind when a deal sounds a bit too sweet to be true.
