DNA Company Privacy Policies

You may have noticed that there has been quite a lot of talk about privacy concerns relating to autosomal DNA testing. Here are just some examples of the many articles and blog posts relating to this conversation:

• "You Discovered Your Genetic History. Is It Worth the Privacy Risk?" Fortune, 10 September 2018​
• "Commercial researchers gain FTDNA access," The Legal Genealogist, 17 February 2019
• "The citizen scientist who finds killers from her couch," MIT Technology Review, 22 June 2018
• "5 Reasons You Should Avoid Take-Home DNA Tests," Investor's Business Daily, 20 November 2018
• "Deleting Your Online DNA Data Is Brutally Difficult," Bloomberg, 15 June 2018
• "Protecting Your Privacy on GEDmatch," The Handwritten Past, 5 May 2018

I was recently asked, "Which company would you recommend to someone who has concerns about their privacy, but is interested in testing in order to confirm a previously-undocumented relationship?" I usually respond that we should do our own research and make the best decisions we can for ourselves. I have done that for myself, but my situation will likely differ from other people. So, in order to assist people to make their own choices, I am posting links to the privacy policies for all of the major DNA companies, for easy reference. 

Please note that the information I am posting is correct to the best of my knowledge as of today. Things change very quickly in the world of genetic genealogy, so I can't guarantee that this information will stay current - please continue to do your own research on this very important topic. 

To start, here is FamilySearch's new DNA Testing information page:
  https://www.familysearch.org/dna-testing/test-options

Clicking on each name below will take you directly to their privacy policy:

23andMe
​
Ancestry DNA

FamilyTree DNA
[offers Y-DNA and mtDNA testing as well]
​
Living DNA
[partnered with Find My Past]

My Heritage DNA

GEDmatch
[not a testing company - a place to upload your results from the above companies]

​Finally, remember that DNA is very, very personal. Even if you have decided that you feel comfortable with submitting your own DNA to a testing company, or uploading the results to GEDmatch, this will not be true for everyone. No one should ever feel pressured into testing or sharing their results with you or others. DNA testing should always take place with full and informed consent. That said, the promises of genetic genealogy continue to be very exciting. So do what feels most comfortable, and try to understand that others are probably doing the same. 

​Happy hunting!

Disclaimers: I am not employed by any of the above companies, and do not receive any remuneration when someone buys a DNA test after viewing my web site. I have been approved as a Contractor for Ancestry ProGenealogists, and I also volunteer as a co-administrator for the Ogilvy surname project hosted by FamilyTree DNA.

​Updated 12/4/2019 to remove references to GEDmatch Genesis, as the transition back to GEDmatch is complete.