Pentagon Tells Military Members To Steer Clear Of Consumer DNA Testing Kits

from the save-that-saliva-for-the-battlefield,-soldier! dept

Dozens of companies are offering off-the-shelf DNA tests that promise to do everything from settling paternity claims to letting you know what horrible disease is going to end your life. Other companies simply offer you a chance to connect with the roots and outer branches of your family tree by matching your DNA to the thousands of other people in their databases.

What's not in the marketing pitches are the side effects of tying DNA markers to personally-identifiable info. Some companies are allowing law enforcement agencies to access entire databases with a single warrant. One company (Family Tree) has basically granted the FBI carte blanche access to its entire database.

Then there's the private sector. Insurance companies and employers may be using DNA tests to deny coverage or raise rates on existing coverage if markers for genetic diseases are found. Nothing's more personal than your DNA. When it's tied to you with a bunch of third-party records, it can cause problems.

That's the general message of a letter sent to US military members by the Department of Defense. Yahoo News obtained a copy of the DoD's letter [PDF], which warns troops away from using consumer DNA products because of the risks they pose.

What the Pentagon has to say about DNA kits applies to everyone, not just members of the military.

These DTC [direct-to-consumer] genetic tests are largely unregulated and could expose personal and genetic information, and potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission...

[...]

Moreover, there is increased concern in the scientific community that outside parties are exploiting the use of genetic data for questionable purposes, including mass surveillance and the ability to track individuals without their authorization or awareness.

The memo also explains many of those offered have not received FDA approval, which means claims made by the DNA companies have not been verified. If the company's product doesn't work as well as advertised, the serviceperson could end up receiving inaccurate statements about health issues (or offspring, apparently).

While it's not exactly clear how DNA info stored in a database can result in new security risks, there's something to be said about the negative effects it could have on a serviceperson's career. A statement given to the Military Times by Pentagon spokesman Sean Robertson says the "unintentional discovery" of markers indicating potential future health risks could negatively affect readiness and, consequently, the soldier's career. Soldiers are required to disclose any medial issues that might affect readiness and a bad test could result in an erroneous disclosure that takes them off the battlefield, or puts them out of a job. Robertson says this sort of information is best obtained through a healthcare professional, rather than a third party service that hoovers up DNA and PII en masse.

Mass surveillance may not actually be an issue, but the potential for being swept up in a police investigation obviously poses a risk to military members -- especially those engaged in sensitive operations and whose involvement could be exposed during the course of an investigation. The increasing use of DNA databases as investigational tools increases the chances of innocent people being viewed as suspects just because their DNA bears some similarity to the sample investigators are working with.

If there are security risks beyond what's covered in the letter, the Pentagon isn't willing to discuss them. But there are enough problems with the way this sensitive data is handled by a number of companies that the best bet for most people is to steer clear of those that aren't transparent about who the data is shared with or sold to.

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Filed Under: defense department, dna testing, home dna testing, pentagon, privacy, surveillance


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  1. icon
    Anonymous Anonymous Coward (profile), 2 Jan 2020 @ 1:38pm

    "The increasing use of DNA databases as investigational tools increases the chances of innocent people being viewed as suspects just because their DNA bears some similarity to the sample investigators are working with."

    And here I thought DNA was supposed to be more specific than fingerprints.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2020 @ 1:55pm

    Re:

    Not get an exact match, but match that looks like a sibling and its: "we are looking for a brother of yours, how many to you have, what are their names, and where are they to be found".

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    bobob, 2 Jan 2020 @ 2:04pm

    My nephew even fell for doing that. It's enough to disown him.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2020 @ 3:02pm

    Million Veteran Program

    The "Million Veteran Program" "Current Projects" describes DNA collection of Veterans.

    About the Biobank

    Blood samples provided to the Million Veteran Program are processed and stored..

    Additional capabilities of the laboratory include..

    extraction of DNA from blood, tissue, or serum buffy coat; extraction of RNA and genotyping; shipping of samples for DNA analysis, genotyping, whole
    exome sequencing, whole genome sequencing, and methylation.

    The lab is capable of processing 3,000 – 4,000 samples per week with advanced robotics including three blood processors, three DNA extractors, two DNA Quality Control readers, and three DNA normalizers.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 2 Jan 2020 @ 10:34pm

    Sure the government doesn't want THEIR people to give up the tiniest details of who they are.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Tin-Foil-Hat, 3 Jan 2020 @ 7:07am

    Re:

    It's a lot easier to plant dna than it is fingerprints.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2020 @ 8:56am

    Re: Re:

    Apparently, mishandling of the evidence can introduce dna and led to bad results.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Agammamon, 3 Jan 2020 @ 10:44am

    The military's database information will sell for much more if they're the only one's with that information in it.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    TheDumberHalf, 3 Jan 2020 @ 10:45am

    I didn't use my real name.

    Back when 23 was still new, I didn't have to provide my real name or a real email address. Still to this day, they have the Hurtz family with a mailinator account on file. Is this still an option for new users?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. icon
    ECA (profile), 3 Jan 2020 @ 11:52am

    Hate to say it..

    But,
    Im starting to feel like a pet rat.
    Thats him, I lost him 2 years ago.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 3 Jan 2020 @ 12:14pm

    Re: Hate to say it..

    That ain't all you lost, EC!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. icon
    ECA (profile), 3 Jan 2020 @ 2:00pm

    Re: Re: Hate to say it..

    I know..
    Iv already posted my personal history..and it is convoluted..

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 6 Jan 2020 @ 9:01am

    Re: I didn't use my real name.

    Still to this day, they have the Hurtz family with a mailinator account on file. Is this still an option for new users?

    If some family members sign up with real information, that's not going to matter. Non-users have already been located and arrested based purely on DNA from other people.

    link to this | view in thread ]


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