i'm curious, what's the worst-case scenario if one were to put their whole DNA data exposed publicly? would a future civilization re-make your image? or are there societal benefits?
23andMe’s new business model (Anne Wojcicki and Regeneron both had the same plan for it) is to use the data for drug development. That’s theoretically where the $$$$ is. Turns out you can use statistical association between genes and other biomarkers to discover drugs that will succeed in clinical trials.
So, I suppose, if everyone could use the data, everyone could use it to develop drugs, not just 23andMe. That’s good if you want more drugs to be developed and released… bad if you don’t.
>Identification of DeAngelo began in December 2017 when officials, led by detective Paul Holes and FBI lawyer Steve Kramer, uploaded the killer's DNA profile from a Ventura County rape kit to the personal genomics website GEDmatch.[182] The website identified 10 to 20 people who had the same great-great-great-grandparents as the Golden State Killer; a team of five investigators working with genealogist Barbara Rae-Venter used this list to construct a large family tree.[183] From this tree, they established two suspects; one was ruled out by a relative's DNA test, leaving DeAngelo the main suspect.[184]
>On April 18, 2018, a DNA sample was surreptitiously collected from the door handle of DeAngelo's car;[64] another sample was later collected from a tissue found in DeAngelo's curbside garbage can.[185]
DNA as the guilt-by-association, they then will get the evidence.
You're describing the process working—DNA gave investigators a lead, which they followed up with legally obtained, direct evidence tying DeAngelo to the crime. That’s not guilt by association; that’s good policing. Framing that as something sinister ignores the outcome: a serial rapist and murderer finally faced justice. That’s not dystopia—it’s what society should be doing—or would you rather a rapist, kidnapper and murderer walked freely?
For example, long-term care, and disability insurance aren’t blocked at the federal level from discrimination based on DNA. If they suspect you might get bad arthritis some day, they can block you from insurance (barring state laws saying otherwise).
someone could synthesize your DNA and leave it a crime scene, to use an example popularized by the consent form of the Harvard Personal Genome Project.
The worst case scenario would have already happened: your privacy being violated, and your info being in the hands of anybody or anything that wants to use it against you.
as far as re-making you I think those like thiel and others are in to trans-humanism. so probably to help make the ultimate borg.
Best case scenario is that you can answer a ton of historical questions that you wouldn't have a chance to otherwise.
I'm currently in the process of figuring out where my most distant known paternal-line ancestor came from. Took a Y-DNA test, found a very distant all-male line cousin who was open to taking a Y DNA test (because he had already taken one at 23andMe, I knew the odds were good that he would be OK with it - the 23andMe test also had enough Y information that I knew it was likely we both descended from the same man).
His first results came in yesterday. In another couple of weeks, when his Y SNPs come in, we'll know which of my ~10 private mutations (ones no one else has been found to share) we have in common, which will in turn put better time estimates on our distance to other testers in our part of the Y-tree.
All your DNA markers show that you have no markers for any adverse genetic conditions and can therefore have lower insurance rates if one of the worst case scenarios occurs (them selling data to health insurers).
I did the 23andme thing years ago (foolishly or not, I found it interesting), and everything on there at the time and when I checked recently said I had no markers for anything. They are very pro-active in reminding you all over the app/website and for each condition they track that they only track a few markers so the results are obviously not really that predictive of anything, and that practicing a healthy lifestyle (whatever your genetic markers) is the most important thing to do.
Best case scenario is it's used to identify unknown remains, or help locate a murder suspect who's probably distantly related to you (i.e. a 5th cousin you never met). More of these samples makes it harder for serial killers to stay hidden for too long.
So, I suppose, if everyone could use the data, everyone could use it to develop drugs, not just 23andMe. That’s good if you want more drugs to be developed and released… bad if you don’t.