“On Monday afternoon, GEDmatch announced it was being taken over by a new owner, the forensic genomics firm Verogen…specializing in next-generation DNA testing services catered to law enforcement. Verogen may also start offering genealogy searches like the ones that have so far identified suspects in as many as 70 cases. “Never before have we as a society had the opportunity to serve as a molecular eyewitness, enabling law enforcement to solve violent crimes efficiently and with certainty,” “
You may trust the current owners of a service, but that can all change quickly. Once your data is out there, it’s on its own in the wild, whether or not you only shared it with Fitbit, not Google, your government’s centralised medical records, or through spitting in a tube to find out how much Neanderthal DNA you have.