This Can’t Be Good: Genealogy Companies Say They’re Willing to Give Law Enforcement Your DNA
By Angela Helm,
The Root
| 11. 19. 2017
We all have those people in our family or close circle who are just like Martin Lawrence’s character in Boomerang: They “here” on all the conspiracies—from being certain that microwaves cause sterility in black men (or is it White Owls?) to obsessively covering up the cameras on their laptops. These are the folks who would never, ever, ever, ever give up their genetic material to one of those popular genealogy testing companies because “the man might get my God gene.”
But as crazy as they sometimes may sound, a new report reveals that police can acquire your DNA from said companies—who actually say they would be willing to provide it!
This can’t be good for black folks.
WJAX-TV reports that companies such as 23andMe and Ancestry.com would be willing to give police access to your DNA if they have a warrant. Further, police would also be able to obtain DNA from a family member to make a “familial match.”
23andMe says it has yet to turn over any genetic information but would do so if provided a warrant; Ancestry.com reportedly...
Related Articles
By Émile P. Torres, Truthdig | 08.08.2024
By Neha Kondaveeti, The Austin Chronicle | 08.16.2024
By Priyanka Runwal, Chemical and Engineering News | 08.05.2024
Saritee Sanodiya, 26, has spent countless days wondering if she’ll ever live a “normal” life. Growing up, Sanodiya often missed school, frequenting the hospital for sudden, life-threatening drops in her hemoglobin levels and excruciating pain in her joints. High fever...
By Isabelle Bartram
| 07.17.2024
Image by Kuzzat Altay from Unsplash
Uyghurs, a predominantly Muslim minority in China, are mainly located in the autonomous region of Xinjiang. The Chinese government has pursued an aggressive settlement policy in this region since 1949, with the percentage of Han Chinese in the region increasing from five to forty percent in the second half of the 20th century. Since 2014, the Uyghurs have been subject to persecution and re-education – various sources have estimated that at least one million...