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Unsollicited DNA testing

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  • Unsollicited DNA testing

    I find this worrying...
    On French TV national news this evening - a genealogist was contacted by a DNA testing company to have a DNA test done free of charge. He subscribed - along with a few other genealogists, who thought they would be given names of people with the same DNA. Of course, all it threw up was ethnic percentages. Now here's the worrying bit - the company in question then sold off the information to the FBI
    CAROLE : "A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK"

  • #2


    How do you know they sold the information?

    That's why its dodgy just giving up your DNA to any old bod.

    Although having said that anyone can get 'your' DNA by just picking up a glass, can or bottle you've drunk out of or plucking a hair out of its follicle!

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    • #3
      I can't of course prove it - it is just journalistic info. But why do their work for them -after all, all these genealogists will also have their trees online...
      CAROLE : "A CHIP OFF THE OLD BLOCK"

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      • #4
        But its very dodgy if one's DNA is floating around in all sorts of databases especially law enforcements agencies. They all make mistakes even with DNA.

        "Oh your DNA has come up at a murder scene! Do you want to come and help us with our enquiries you're entitled to one phone call I suggest you call a lawyer."

        Comment


        • #5
          I have a bee in my bonnet about DNA testing.

          It all sounds so nice and matey doesn't it. But if you read the small print, most NON-UK companies reserve the right to do whatever they like with your DNA and I find that very worrying.

          There is one company which offers free DNA testing. It sounds as if they are going to tell you all sorts, but if you read the very small print, they aren't going to tell you a thing unless you pay for the results.

          It is marketed as a university-type research programme, but in fact it is one very rich man on a mission to get the DNA of the world onto his database. He doesn't say so, but it is obvious to me that somewhere along the line, he is going to sell his hugely valuable database to who knows who.

          Sure, someone could pick up a glass I'd used and test it for my DNA - but not much use if they don't know who I am or where I live. If I volunteered for a "free" test, they would be sure to have my name and contact details and probably ask me all kinds of other questions.

          Dangerous territory.

          OC

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Olde Crone Holden View Post
            Sure, someone could pick up a glass I'd used and test it for my DNA - but not much use if they don't know who I am or where I live. If I volunteered for a "free" test, they would be sure to have my name and contact details and probably ask me all kinds of other questions.

            OC
            yeah that was my point easily got but pretty useless without a name attached to it.

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            • #7
              I`m a little confused here folks so can somebody educate me....I had a DNA 3 YRS AGO...this cost £450....an american relation of mine paid for this DNA...I had
              a 67 marker test...there are 4 markers for your tests
              12 marker
              25 marker
              37 marker
              67 marker
              I don`t know but I presume a 12 marker is a lot cheaper than a 67 marker
              You are then given haplyogroup type which gives you which categorie you come under....
              so could someone explain why a company will do FREE DNA..its not cheap to pay these examiners...
              a 12 marker means more or less zilch...it gives you a dna match of 161 countries worldwide....I have 734 EXACT 12 marker matches...but this can go up to 20 generations backwards ...so I don`t find that much use at all..

              a 25 marker...I have 25 EXACT matches and 107 with a genetic distance of ONE..297 with genetic distance of TWO..god knows how many there are with a genetic distance of 5..

              37 marker ...I have NO exact markers...4 with a GD of 3 and 7 with a GD of 4

              67 marker No EXACT matches...2 matches with a GD of 5
              and 4 with a GD of 7
              so the nearest relly I can come up with is probably we had the same Y search type in 1234.....or some other obscure date....
              the company I had my search with is an American company called
              MY FAMILY TREE DNA....and in my opinion it was a waste of money for my American relation..
              MFTDNA boasts 36000 members in 161 countries....
              my questions are these.....if the FBI have been given my DNA ...do they do a 67 marker for ALL their enquiries ??...if so...its very expensive
              and what really is the point of ANYONE having a 12 marker done,,,,the day you get your results you have nearly a THOUSAND matches on ONE DNA site alone....on ALL the DNA sites/companies you must have THOUSANDS....
              although I know a little of DNA testing/Y search /Haplogroups I find it EXTREMELY complicated and quite frankly,unless you get an EXACT match on a 67 marker...a complete waste of time and money...it all seems a bit of a con to me....I think OC has it right....read between the lines and they just want your money....sorry to waffle on ,but like I say....its confusing and expensive....allan
              Allan ......... researching oakes/anyon/standish/collins/hartley/barker/collins-cheshire
              oakes/tipping/ellis/jones/schacht/...garston, liverpool
              adams-shropshire/roberts-welshpool
              merrick/lewis/stringham/nicolls-herefordshire
              coxon/williamson/kay/weaver-glossop/stockport/walker-gorton

              Comment


              • #8
                Allan

                Rest easy! The USA no longer use DNA as primary or sole evidence in a crime and the UK is shortly to follow suit.

                But where DNA helps the police, is to rule OUT huge numbers of suspects - say in a murder case. If they did door to door DNA sampling of every male in a given area, they could rule out most men on the grounds that the first marker wasn't the same, or the haplotype was different.

                Then with the remaining samples, they could gradually eliminate suspects by doing more and more markers, till they found the last man in the group. THEN they would have to do a complete recombinant test to make sure the DNA matched EXACTLY (which is very expensive).

                Y-testing DNA is a bit like trying to find a word in a book in a library. Y-testing will tell you the book has a red cover, for instance. A bit more testing will tell you the word is in chapter six. A bit more testing will tell you the word is on the third page of chapter six, and so on, till you find the matching word. But you still don't know if you have really found the right book, because there may be another book with the same word in the same place - so you then have to compare every word of every book with a red cover!

                The company I am talking about, is doing free testing FOR ITS OWN BENEFIT - which is what, exactly???? It is not made clear, but there is a lot of waffle about "helping medical research".

                OC

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                • #9
                  thanks OC.....the amazing thing is the "matches" I have are mostly Scandanavian/North european....a Smith from England would have been nice....I think all my rellies went with Vikings...lol...Allan:D:D
                  Allan ......... researching oakes/anyon/standish/collins/hartley/barker/collins-cheshire
                  oakes/tipping/ellis/jones/schacht/...garston, liverpool
                  adams-shropshire/roberts-welshpool
                  merrick/lewis/stringham/nicolls-herefordshire
                  coxon/williamson/kay/weaver-glossop/stockport/walker-gorton

                  Comment

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