Blackstone Private Equity Buys 75% of Ancestry.com your DNA

One more reason why I won't ever be taking one of those DNA tests.

And that is why we said long ago we would never do the DNA test and discouraged everyone from doing so. You had to know a private entity was going to buy that data. Had to!

Blackstone wants your DNA for their own purposes, which are NOT in your best interests.

My question is, if a close relative has used Ancestry to get DNA results, how does that impact other family members?

Glad I didn't jump on that bandwagon

It is incredibly easy to trace back to siblings,cousins,etc.

Type someone's name in a Google search and it is really easy to have relatives names come up with that search. And this is just a plain old free search - throw in the searches that people can pay services for - and they can quite easily attach you to your siblings DNA sample.

Oh, that sounds bad. I suppose by extension, if there is a genetic predisposition to a disease, relatives could be tagged as *maybe* to that.
I didn’t even think about use by law enforcement. That is just creepy.

There was recently (within the past 2 years) a highly publicized case where a cold murder case (I want to say from the 1970s) was finally solved when a relative of the perpetrator took a DNA test. Her DNA matched the DNA they had from the evidence collected that they were able to pinpoint and convict a male relative who never took a DNA test. 

IMO, that is an example of a positive that can come from DNA testing. 

I have a related question - if you've had genetic testing through your doctor, can all these companies get access to that too?
I'm screwed either way, I did an Ancestry test a couple of years ago, but when I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year my doctor did thorough genetic testing to see if I had markers for any type of cancer. (I didn't.)
I'm so naive - I never thought any of this would affect my ability to get long-term care insurance. Now that I've had cancer, I'm sure I won't be able to.

Well, guess I only have half a brain. 

So could be a mixed bag then. Oh wait-was it the Golden State killer? I had forgotten all about that.

We were really shocked when the email showed up as we couldn't imagine who had done a test. We were doubly shocked when it turned out to be his 87 year old stodgy British mother. 

At the time he was donating, he was told his info would NEVER be disclosed. 35+ years later, and things have changed. 😉 

As the internet was taking off, it dawned on us that there would come a time. It looks like the place he used was one of the last ones in CA to have the names of donors and their donor number breached. Once that happened, we thought he might get found. But nothing happened. Then his mom took that test about 2 years ago. It is a girl that contacted him with a very nice email. She was curious about some medical stuff mostly. Dh and I talked and he responded. She told him she never bothered to look for half siblings, so doesn't know if there are others. We kind of get the feeling that she has always felt like she doesn't fit in with her family. She is quite and introspective much like dh. She favours my bil children in looks more so than my own son. Ds20 does not know about her. We haven't decided what to do on that. She does know about him. She and Dh exchange an email or two about every 6 months. 

When Dh was engaging in sperm donation, they asked him to come back at regular intervals, because he was "popular on paper" 😁 At the time he was leaving they told him they estimated between 12 and 32 offspring would come from him.

I have wanted to get my DNA results, but have hesitated, not because I have anything to hide. I am uncomfortable with so much data being out there on the web. But that is possibly paranoia on my part. Who knows?

I never did any of the DNA tests because I have an issue paying a company so they could profit off of my DNA.