23 and me, or other service?

May 27, 2017, 04:00 PM

quote:
Originally posted by FiveFiveSixFan:

That's great that 23 and Me wants to move up the value chain and offer services beyond genealogy but I don't see where that has anything to do with either the article linked (which was written 4 years ago) or with HIPAA since they certainly were not bound by HIPAA 4 years ago. To the the best of my knowledge, they still aren't today. That being the case, the company would not be at risk for any consequences which would normally arise from any behavior that would constitute a HIPAA violation for a covered entity until such time as they actually become one. Hence, the companies strategic intentions, especially from 4 years ago, would seem moot.

What would seem more relevant is what is actually contained in their rather voluminous Privacy Policy , and, perhaps equally important and relevant, what is not there. Specifically, any reference to HIPAA since the privacy policies of covered entities typically reference HIPAA quite repetitively.

As mentioned in joel9507's post, the fine print of the Privacy Policy contains enough worrisome clauses to give pause to anyone who values and wishes to protect their most personal information.

Not moot at all and it relates to record keeping + future strategy. If 23andMe were stupid enough to share genomic data unblinded with a third party, then became a covered entity, they wouldn't have the opportunity to up-sell the GHR data to that individual, now would they? The report is based on their genome, which won't change, so they could attempt to further monetize the data. Some horses you can't get back in the barn though. Which is why the reporter should have at least asked, yes even years ahead of time what their plans are (and I qualified whether or not an answer would have been provided, but the article doesn't say that the author attempted to generate a response from 23andMe) b/c HIPAA policy goes back further than 4 years.
Glad you agree with me that consumers should carefully read privacy policies.

May 27, 2017, 05:42 PM

Sunset_Va

I am considering using the DNA testing offered by National Geographic, anyone here have any experience with that company (Helix)?

May 28, 2017, 09:17 AM

apprentice

Thanks for the info folks.

Right now it is $199 for the full 23 and me package, which is more than I care to spend. Especially if it is indeed as inaccurate as Dakor noted earlier.

Sounds like waiting for some changes is the best idea for now.

May 28, 2017, 11:23 AM

jayko

"Hello, Sir. According to 23 and me, you are my Father and I would like to meet your Wife and any Brothers and Sisters I may have."

I think I'll pass.

May 28, 2017, 12:28 PM

Tommydogg

quote:
Originally posted by downtownv:
quote:
Originally posted by Tommydogg:
My wife got me a kit. I'm 99 percent Irish and Engrish. 1 percent African. I now identify as a Mandikan Warrior!

So how do you do in the sun?

I'm pretty fair skinned. After the sun burn heals, I get 1 percent freckles!

May 31, 2017, 10:21 PM

Fundman

I don't understand how they can make these claims of ancestry. The service is based on the idea that American is a land of immigrants and we are all different ethnically. If you tested 100 random people on the street one person would be part English and French, another person might be part German and Russian, and somebody else might be part African and Mexican, etc. But isn't that based on the false notion that all other countries are ethnically pure and America is unique in its multiculturalism. In fact, if you tested people in France or Argentina you would find just as great a variation in their ancestry so how can they state what French DNA is?

May 31, 2017, 11:02 PM

M4Super90

quote:
Originally posted by Fundman:
I don't understand how they can make these claims of ancestry. The service is based on the idea that American is a land of immigrants and we are all different ethnically. If you tested 100 random people on the street one person would be part English and French, another person might be part German and Russian, and somebody else might be part African and Mexican, etc. But isn't that based on the false notion that all other countries are ethnically pure and America is unique in its multiculturalism. In fact, if you tested people in France or Argentina you would find just as great a variation in their ancestry so how can they state what French DNA is?

You are partially correct. They aren't stating what French DNA is, but they are playing a stats game. They have identified SNPs/loci/alleles that have been correlated to a geographical reference with high probability (but not 100% for sure). If you contain that marker, it simply means that it "most likely" originated from a population where that marker frequently occurs, not that the marker does not occur in other populations at random. It's all based on probability and likelihood ratios and given an accumulation of markers it provides some discrimination power. However, it is not absolute with the exception of total exclusion - i.e., these 2 samples do not match or this person did not contribute any material to another. The paternity/maternity/relationship analysis is solid, but inference of origin is a bit of a stretch with any certainty. As Dakor stated, this is for entertainment purposes.