Skip to Content
Biotechnology and health

A consumer DNA testing company has given the FBI access to its two million profiles

February 1, 2019

A large consumer DNA test database, Family Tree DNA, has quietly started allowing the FBI to upload genetic profiles created from crime scenes and corpses, according to BuzzFeed.

Solving crimes: The FBI was able to compare forensic samples with the DNA of any of about 2 million customers of the service, normally used by genealogists to locate and contact relatives.

A spokesperson for the company said law enforcement agencies have so far uploaded 22 samples: 10 were from the FBI. At least one case has been solved, including a 20-year-old rape case involving a child.

What are the odds? Between Family Tree DNA and another database being accessed by police, GEDMatch, it means your average criminal on the loose probably has at least a second cousin whose DNA can be located. The FBI created a special genealogy team to turn those leads into arrests.

Privacy is kaput: Specialized law enforcement databases containing DNA profiles of known felons could soon be irrelevant. “We are nearing a de facto national DNA database,” Natalie Ram, an assistant law professor at the University of Baltimore, told BuzzFeed.

Angry users? There are already some of them, since Family Tree didn’t tell customers about the arrangement.“At a time people distrust science, it’s more important than ever that people understand and consent to how their information is being used,” says David Mittelman, who was once chief scientist at the company. “No one wants to wake up to learn the terms of use changed by press release.”

Family Tree DNA founder Bennett Greenspan said in a statement that police only have access to the same type of information users already share, such as names, initials, e-mails, and photos.

Read our profile of CeCe Moore, a genetic genealogist who has helped solve more than 27 cases last year using a different database.

Deep Dive

Biotechnology and health

How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets

When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.

An AI-driven “factory of drugs” claims to have hit a big milestone

Insilico is part of a wave of companies betting on AI as the "next amazing revolution" in biology

The quest to legitimize longevity medicine

Longevity clinics offer a mix of services that largely cater to the wealthy. Now there’s a push to establish their work as a credible medical field.

There is a new most expensive drug in the world. Price tag: $4.25 million

But will the latest gene therapy suffer the curse of the costliest drug?

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.