At-Home DNA Test Kits Raise Security Questions

At-Home DNA Test Kits Raise Security Questions

Despite the answers a bit of saliva can provide, some are critical of the at-home test services, questioning the level of security they provide for your most sensitive information.

Home DNA test kits such as AncestryDNA or 23andMe are some of the most popular gifts this season, allowing you to send a DNA sample off to be analyzed for information on your ethnic background and genetic health conditions. Despite the answers a bit of saliva can provide, some are critical of the at-home test services, questioning the level of security they provide for your most sensitive information.

In November, Senator Chuck Schumer expressed concern about the at-home testing kits, saying many of their terms-of-service agreements weren’t clear on what the company could do with your genetic information.

"There are no prohibitions, and many companies say that they can still sell your information to other companies," Schumer said. He called for the Federal Trade Commission to “take a serious look at this relatively new kind of service and ensure that these companies can have clear, fair privacy policies”.

The privacy policies of these companies do vary, but typically require customer consent to share personally identifiable data. However, they often allow the sale or sharing of DNA information that has been anonymized as well as aggregate DNA information. There are potential benefits to this information sharing, but a lack of clear security safeguards means dangers loom.

"It all leads to good places for a patient if it's used appropriately, but when there's opportunity for misuse or for monetary gain, criminals are very fast on the uptake," said Peter Pitts, president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.

While companies may anonymize DNA, it’s difficult to truly separate genetic information from identity, as DNA is basically the most personal identifying information anyone has. A 2013 study in the journal Science using two public genealogy databases found that researchers could correctly find people’s surnames from their genetic data alone between 12 and 18 percent of the time.

If DNA information and the genetic databases they’re held in aren’t properly secured and protected, the consequences of leaked data could be serious.

“It’s really inevitable that these databases will be breached” by hackers, said Michelle De Mooy, director of the privacy and data project at the Center for Democracy & Technology. “This is just tempting, tempting data for the government, too,” De Mooy said.

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (GINA) aims to prevent insurance companies from denying coverage to healthy people based on predispositions their DNA may reveal and to prevent employers from using genetic information to make hiring, firing or promotion decisions. However, GINA has loopholes, and House Bill 1313, recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, would reverse some of GINA’s workplace protections by allowing workplace wellness programs to restrict rewards to employees who did not provide genetic data.

Pitts said that the popularity and presence of genetic information means that the law needs to start paying attention.

"It simply means thoughtful regulation and thoughtful consumer education," he said.

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Video Surveillance Trends to Watch

    With more organizations adding newer capabilities to their surveillance systems, it’s always important to remember the “basics” of system configuration and deployment, as well as the topline benefits of continually emerging technologies like AI and the cloud. Read Now

  • New Report Reveals Top Trends Transforming Access Controller Technology

    Mercury Security, a provider in access control hardware and open platform solutions, has published its Trends in Access Controllers Report, based on a survey of over 450 security professionals across North America and Europe. The findings highlight the controller’s vital role in a physical access control system (PACS), where the device not only enforces access policies but also connects with readers to verify user credentials—ranging from ID badges to biometrics and mobile identities. With 72% of respondents identifying the controller as a critical or important factor in PACS design, the report underscores how the choice of controller platform has become a strategic decision for today’s security leaders. Read Now

  • Overwhelming Majority of CISOs Anticipate Surge in Cyber Attacks Over the Next Three Years

    An overwhelming 98% of chief information security officers (CISOs) expect a surge in cyber attacks over the next three years as organizations face an increasingly complex and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven digital threat landscape. This is according to new research conducted among 300 CISOs, chief information officers (CIOs), and senior IT professionals by CSC1, the leading provider of enterprise-class domain and domain name system (DNS) security. Read Now

  • ASIS International Introduces New ANSI-Approved Investigations Standard

    • Guard Services
  • Cloud Security Alliance Brings AI-Assisted Auditing to Cloud Computing

    The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment, today introduced an innovative addition to its suite of Security, Trust, Assurance and Risk (STAR) Registry assessments with the launch of Valid-AI-ted, an AI-powered, automated validation system. The new tool provides an automated quality check of assurance information of STAR Level 1 self-assessments using state-of-the-art LLM technology. Read Now

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.