Why Are DNA Tests a Bad Christmas Gift?
In recent times, DNA testing kits have found immense popularity, especially during the holiday season. Due to this popularity, prices can range from $40 to $200. Most commonly, kits are somewhere around the $50-$70 range.
All of the intrigue and fascination comes from the fact that people are genuinely curious about their ancestry and enjoy having some way to explore it. You provide a DNA sample by spitting into one of the provided tubes and submitting it to the testing company. After testing, the results are then available on a personalised website.
The results do have interesting and sometimes helpful information to offer. For example, based on the test, you can determine the likelihood of certain genetic traits, the most common being hair colour. These results can also be used to determine any genetic variations, making it possible to discover how susceptible one can be to diseases like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, providing great utility in the medical world.
What Are the Concerns?
One shouldn’t get too enamoured by how flashy and interesting all of this sounds on the surface. There are some aspects of these testing kits that come off somewhat shady and reduce their appeal. One of these factors is that these tests are highly questionable. The testing process itself differs from company to company, which means you might get different results if you were to use two different kits. In fact, those who belong to ethnic minorities might find extremely inaccurate results due to a lack of proper samples in the database.
Somewhat overlooked is the fact that it can be extremely upsetting to spend the holiday season trying to process how vulnerable you might be to life-altering diseases. These tests merely provide the information, no medical or emotional assistance. That kind of stress isn’t worth it for most.
Also worth considering is the fact that you might be compromising your privacy by using these tests. Some people find it extremely uncomfortable that a fair bit of their DNA history is readily available to these companies. While there is an effort to maintain transparency regarding how this information is treated, people often cite the case of the Golden State Killer as a reason for their concerns.
The Golden State Killer was a serial killer who was finally caught after a family tree was built using DNA testing samples from the database. By looking at public data like obituaries, a proper profile was developed, leading to his capture. People seem to be uncomfortable with their information being available to the police and with their relatives’ DNA being used against them. While understandable, a serial killer being brought to justice isn’t necessarily the best example to build an argument.
A better way to frame it would be the concern that the prominence of hackers in today’s modern age creates a lot of fear for personal security. Any company can be vulnerable to a sophisticated attack.
So, before you go and buy one of these kits, make sure you’ve really thought it over and considered the risks.