Know that you could be contacted by someone with DNA info showing your father conceived a child that you never knew about. Yep. It happens.
this post was submitted on 15 Apr 2025
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Know that you are not just sharing your own genetic information, but also that of your blood relatives within 2 generations.
Anyone from your grandparents and their offspring can be matched to the DNA you send in. Surpise, your father has an illegitimate child and the will is now in dispute. Oh, looks like DNA of one of your relatives turned up in a criminal investigation so now most are being investigated. That'll be a fun discussion at the next get together...
There is far more information packed in your genes than most laypeople understand. IMO this whole industry should have been legislated to either force destruction of all data once the report is generated or the consent of all your family members be a prerequisite.
That site is owned by Blackstone Inc.
They are not known for their (positive) ethical practices.
With partnership of the Mormon Church
I think it’s a myth that the Mormon’s own a significant share of that company.
I don't think they have ownership (they have their own) but they do have an association of and sort.
https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Church-of-Jesus-Christ-Ancestry-Membership?language=en_US
Tell them about what happened to 23andMe and ask them if they're ok with their DNA being up for sale
I've done it without issue, it was cool, but after what happened to 23andme I think you should be cautious, consider if you want a company owning that info.
That your privacy is kaput.
Yeah this will populate information about DNA and genomes from you and relatives into their database.
This can be an issue for the following reasons:
- you will give up your privacy to a very substantial degree
- there's a small chance you will give up safety of you or your relatives because investigators can access your DNA now
What's the point? It's possible to trace your family tree without DNA.