12 - Is genealogical DNA testing democratizing or commercializing genetics?
Thu, Feb 22
In today's class, we'll consider the ethical impacts of the DNA testing ancestry kits such as the ones provided by 23 and Me or Ancestry.com. These kits were developed and marketed to give individuals information about their genealogical ancestry and estimate ethnic mixture. While genealogical testing has become commercially widespread, there are associated concerns for the effective creation of genetic databases.
The learning goals for today's class include:
- Consider how DNA testing might provide a case study for thinking about the ethics of privacy
- Understand how the creation of datasets may raise ethical questions for use
The slides for today's lecture can be found here.
Read This:
Via Perusall:
- Police were cracking cold cases with a DNA website. Then the fine print changed. Jon Schuppe (NBC News)
- Crack down on genomic surveillance. Yves Moreau (Nature)
- Should police have access to genetic genealogy databases? Capturing the Golden State Killer and other criminals using a controversial new forensic technique. Guerrini et. al. (PLOS Biology)
Readings on Writing:
Do This:
As you prepare for class consider the following questions:
- What ethical protections are required for creating large sensitive datasets?
- Do consumers/patients need to be notified when their shared information is used?
- Like attention should genetic information be sellable/commercialized? Who is this good for? Who is disadvantaged?
Watch This:
In Lieu of watching a video, listen to the following NYTimes Sway podcast interview with Anne Wojcicki the founder of 23andMe.