Ms. Brody’s article on consumer genetic testing lumps together all personal genomics companies. Although only a nascent industry, there are a number of reputable companies that professionally and responsibly provide consumers with actionable information. However, with the industry’s costs plummeting, there is a real concern that less scrupulous actors may enter the fray and provide less than useful, if not harmful, genetic (mis)information in the race to the bottom. Compounding this concern are the broader social trends towards a more carefree attitude to privacy, particularly evidenced by the social networking phenomenon. Unregulated cheap and easily accessible genomic information, compounded with an irresistible urge to share, is likely to result in the public disclosure of private genomic data with no appreciation for the scope of its information content. And, once that information is shared online, it is effectively out there forever, with all it’s impending implications -- for children, grandchildren and future descendants.
Dov Greenbaum
Mark Gerstein
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Unpublished Letter in response to:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/health/01brod.html?_r=1
Buyer Beware Of Home DNA Tests
By Jane Brody
August 29, 2009
The New York Times
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