TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Last week, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis raised concerns about the selling and sharing of your genetic information by DNA-testing companies. After facing criticism for sharing this information without explicit consent of the FBI, FamilyTreeDNA has decided to allow customers to block law enforcement from accessing your DNA records.

 

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “Genetic privacy is important—your DNA contains health data and I believe companies must do a better job of protecting it. You would be outraged to find out your doctor was selling your patient files for profit to Big Pharma or sharing this data with the government. Gene-testing companies doing the same thing is equally infuriating and we must take a serious look at if this should even be legal.

 

“Regardless of whether you are testing to find out your ancestry origins or nationality, your DNA contains personal health-related details. In the age of digital hacks, we must do everything we can to protect your information from falling into the wrong hands."

 

To opt out of FamilyTreeDNA’s Law Enforcement Matching visit “Privacy & Sharing” section in Account Settings. Visit FamilyTreeDNA’s website for more information on how to opt-out of law enforcement matching.