Genetic Data

[Gabes-Apg]

As an outcome of 23andme testing, I was contacted by someone who was a 3rd-5th cousin from the family and friends section of 23andme.

We have emailed and chatted on the phone as we try and confirm if there is a known bloodline link.
I have also spoken with his niece, who has been been doing family history /genealogy using DNA for a while.

She put me onto a website - Gedmatch

you take the raw data that you get from 23andme, and upload it to the gedmatch site and it pumps out a report of people that you share DNA with (that have registered their results with the website)
the site has some interesting reports etc.
(and in the case of when you share DNA with someone, it even tells you what chromosone the commonality happens

one of the reports shows a breakdown of my heritage - how much of DNA is european early farmer, or Paleo_siberian, or european hunter and gatherers! interesting hey!



via the Gedmatch results, I am now in contact with further people as we investigate if we are able to confirm a blood line link, based on family history records we have at this point....

If anyone is semi-serious about this type of genealogy research, I have a great summary (15 pages worth!!) about it all (that one of my distant relatives found on gedmatch provided to me!!)
contact me and I will email this if you want it.

Ohhh almost forgot.. the reports on Gedmatch are free!

[nerdhume]

Thanks for the info, I will definitely being trying gedmatch when I get my results from 23andme.

[Jeanie]

Gabes,

I just found this information.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/artic ... asons-fda/


Is it valid? A while back I sent my DNA to them and I get a lot of requests from people purporting to be my relatives.

Jean

[tex]

Hi Jean,

I'm not Gabes, obviously, but I do have an opinion on that Scientific American article. IMO it is right on target. This is no different than the wholesale loss of privacy that Facebook has imposed upon all its members, and Google has imposed upon anyone and everyone who uses it's search engine, Android operating system, phones, gmail, etc. It's all about money (isn't it always). There are no free lunches. Anytime we accept and use a service that is priced way below its actual value, we shouldn't be surprised to discover that in the end, it's not free after all.

The Personal Genome Service isn’t primarily intended to be a medical device. It is a mechanism meant to be a front end for a massive information-gathering operation against an unwitting public.

That's so obvious that it shouldn't need any explanation. On the Internet, for anyone seeking to make money, information is king, and privacy is just another hurdle to be overcome in the routine of doing business on the Internet.

Those of us who have not volunteered to be a part of the grand experiment have even less protection. Even if 23andMe keeps your genome confidential against hackers, corporate takeovers, and the temptations of filthy lucre forever and ever, there is plenty of evidence that there is no such thing as an “anonymous” genome anymore. It is possible to use the internet to identify the owner of a snippet of genetic information and it is getting easier day by day.

By now, surely we have learned that this is true. With last year as a springboard, hackers will probably make 2015 the Year of the Hack, and even doubters will be forced to admit that absolutely nothing we can do on the internet will forever remain private.

If you have several close relatives who are already in 23andMe’s database, the company already essentially has all that it needs to know about you. It is doubtful that 23andMe would be able to protect that information even if it were so inclined.

That's not as obvious (when we decide to go for the deal), but nontheless, it's most definitely true. And regardless of how tight-lipped we might try to be, we have no control over less-restrained relatives.

When I answered the questions on 23andme, I declined (to the extent allowed) all options for sharing information. But I have no illusions that this will keep my data private. It did however (so far at least) prevent anyone from contacting me about ancestry. Of course 23andme couldn't keep from pointing out to me that I am related to celebrities such as Stephen Colbert and Meryl Streep, in the hopes of persuading me to release my data for such purposes. Frankly, I'm no more impressed by that information than those 2 celebrities would be to learn that they were related to me.

The bottom line is, if we want the data, we have to trade our rights to privacy (as always).

Tex

[Jeanie]

Tex,
Thank you for your response. I wholeheartedly agree with you. It just surprised me when I got my first message saying they thought they were my relative when I knew right off they were not. I have traced my ancestry back to Sweden, several generations all from Sweden and yet they put me down as 43% Scandinavian. Hmmmmm , very strange! Also, I have the names of all my relatives that live in the United States. As far is privacy is concerned once we hook up to the Internet no more privacy. But I have so much benefit out of it that I don't think I could give it up. So don't throw the baby out with the bathwater!

Jean

[Sheila]

I've gotten all sorts of requests from "close genetic relatives" thru 23andme. I pursued two in the beginning and they were dead ends. Since then I don't bother to respond. My 23andme genetic results placed me at decreased risk for Sjogrens Syndrome. HA! You have to take all of the results with a large grain of salt.

I have found long-lost relatives through Ancestry.com. You have to allow others who are searching the same names to look at your data. I have done that and found relatives of my fathers who have been missing for years. You can simply reject "matches" that are false. We have shared stories and pictures that have enriched my family greatly.

Sheila W

[Jeanie]

Sheila,

That is exciting that you found some matches. When we got married in 1966 we went over to Europe and my husband wanted me to trace my ancestry which we did. In the process I found living relatives that we visited and it was absolutely wonderful. My ancestors going way back were all from Sweden. My grandfather was an only child and he changed his surname and then he came to America so the only people that have that name are in America and when I looked up that name on the Internet every one of them was a relative that I knew of. In Sweden if your last name was Johnson that meant that your father's name was John but he probably had a different last name. My only tracing would be in Sweden and it would not help to use the surname. I did not send my DNA to 23 and me for that reason but I do appreciate the genetic results.

Jean

[tex]

As far is privacy is concerned once we hook up to the Internet no more privacy. But I have so much benefit out of it that I don't think I could give it up.

It would be tough to imagine life without it now. The Internet is an awesome resource, to say the least.

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

I probably share more personal data on this forum - that is pretty public and accessible!!

like all things with the internet, you have to use discernment, - take from it, what you want.

I have found that using the Gedmatch site and reporting, this does provide a way more reliable indicator of if someone may be a blood line relative...