You might not be anonymous, thanks to genealogy databases May affect even those who haven't had DNA testing October 11, 2018 https://www.channel3000.com/health/...ymous-thanks-to-genealogy-databases/805934668
Indeed. Anything like anonymity is pretty much impossible anymore in meatspace. Even if you don't pawn yourself using social media, credit/debit cards, or whatever. Pervasive video surveillance. And now this. I mean, it's hard to avoid leaving DNA wherever you go. Spit, skin, hair, etc, etc, etc. But on the other hand, Mirimir doesn't leave any DNA behind online
If you are extremely cautious about your privacy/anonymity; those around you may not and expose you anyway...
I was telling friends, and family that I thought the Golden State Killer was an X-Cop, and they might be able to catch him using familial DNA. That turned out true.
As it has small-world property. This again poses the difficulty privacy research have been facing - combining info can produce unexpected threats. Those who collect DNA info should develop and adopt mathematically verifiable methods to guarantee certain level of privacy, but I'm skeptical how many do it (and that will make LE to search for criminals harder). That's really impo point often forgotten by security geeks. In a somewhat similar vein, I love this comic. But the privacy and anonymity is different (tho related) idea, tho I see you know. Everyone has different idea, sense, and opinion about privacy, but not so much about anonymity. When asked to explain what the anonymity is, many ppl will be able to. But when privacy, almost all ppl fail (confirmed in my univ's class). Privacy is also diff from security, which often confused in security news or forums (and may lead to unproductive controversy). Privacy threats don't necessarily accompany any kind of real damage. (e.g. peeping)
The UK police were busy creating a population-level DNA database using "familial matching" over 10 years ago. They knew they could not get agreement to "do" everyone, so they unlawfully retained records including witnesses, suspects, and those arrested but not charged, indefinitely. Even after a unanimous and damning judgement by the ECHR, the Home Office dragged its feet for many years and refused to destroy the records or made it request only. Of course, DNA records have impacts way beyond the criminal, and will lead to many difficult situations (e.g. paternity and so on). People and society are only just recognising the impacts, and for sure, the law is very poor in terms of recognising standing when it comes to indirect fingering, and what commercial companies could and should be allowed to do. But the cat is out of the bag, there is no solution from a privacy point of view. I find great pleasure in reading about our very mixed antecedents when it comes to interbreeding with Neanderthals, Denisovans etc.
Same as some geeks building a fortress of security to protect their datas or banking sessions, totally forgetting than the online shops storing their precious datas may have weak security...
Yes, but I don't feel like I have the right to laugh at them, as I once went such a way - there's a kind of gravity in security forums which drive ppl to 'security competition', until they contemplate what they need to protect from who. I won't be surprised if some ppl block web tracking w/out any valid reason, or just because "other geeks do it".
A suspected killer eluded capture for 25 years. Then investigators got his aunt’s DNA. February 16, 2019 https://www.washingtonpost.com/crim...e-years-then-investigators-got-his-aunts-dna/
GEDmatch highlights security concerns of DNA comparison websites DNA matching can produce interesting data on family trees, but may also expose us to serious risk October 31, 2019 https://www.zdnet.com/article/gedmatch-highlights-security-concerns-of-dna-comparison-websites/ Paper: "Genotype Extraction and False Relative Attacks: Security Risks to Third-Party Genetic Genealogy Services Beyond Identity Inference" (PDF - 904 KB): https://dnasec.cs.washington.edu/genetic-genealogy/ney_ndss.pdf
On the one hand, I have the same problem with this that most people will have. On the other, I don't mind that killers are being brought to justice. There seems to be no choice though. At some point everyone will know everything we do, for better or worse.
As long as I compartmentalize meatspace from online activity, there's no DNA information to link. In meatspace, I'm entirely unremarkable.
Why a Data Breach at a Genealogy Site Has Privacy Experts Worried https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/01/technology/gedmatch-breach-privacy.html
I suspect that privacy adequate to be anonymous is no longer achievable in meatspace. DNA is just so easy to collect and check for shared markers. Indeed, even to sequence completely. It's kinda like living in prison, or more like a panopticon, but so it goes. So online privacy and anonymity are all we have left.
It is very much a difficult call. We all want covid etc to go away. We have this announcement of the 90 min test in UK now. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/201073/government-orders-58-million-rapid-covid-19/ Then you read this and start thinking... https://www.dnanudge.com/en/how-it-works More info https://www.gov.uk/government/news/roll-out-of-2-new-rapid-coronavirus-tests-ahead-of-winter
I'll admit, that has been a concern of mine for COVID-19 testing here. Are they keeping your DNA on record? Who knows?! Surely not I.
The Golden State Killer: How it took four decades to catch the serial predator who terrorised California https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-22/the-forty-year-hunt-for-the-golden-state-killer/12579638