Privacy and our genes: Is deCode’s DNA project ‘Big Brother’ or the gateway to a healthier future?

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The massive collection of data that has resulted from genetic technology is calling into question how much control each of us has over whether we, or others, know about our individual genetic make-up.
The Supreme Court ruled on June 3^rd that the government could collect a DNA sample of someone arrested without a warrant. DNA is becoming the new fingerprint for people accused of crimes, although its primary legal purpose may not be simply identification. Other people are giving out their genetic material voluntarily and losing some privacy about its content in order to participate in community-based genetic pools, such as those maintained by for profit DNA identity companies such as 23andMe and Family Tree DNA to help members track down distant relatives and assemble their family ancestral histories.

- See more at: http://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/2013/06/24/privacy-and-our-genes-is-decodes-dna-project-big-brother-or-the-gateway-to-a-healthier-future/#sthash.w5FAbh7n.De4sN8AJ.dpuf