
Forensic Genealogy Is Cracking Decades-Old Cold Cases - ohjeez
https://www.topic.com/the-cold-case-factory
======
kstenerud
Unfortunately, DNA testing nowadays operates on much smaller samples, which
are exponentially more difficult to analyze correctly, and there is no
oversight. Even worse, simply concluding that the suspect's DNA cannot be
ruled out (the result was inconclusive), is often enough for a conviction [1].

This is very cool technology, but the injustice that will result from its use
by law enforcement will be terrible indeed...

[1]
[https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/a-reaso...](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/a-reasonable-
doubt/480747/)

~~~
esturk
The main wrongful conviction in article happened in 1999. I'm not sure if they
are the same technique used in recent years but the article also alluded to
the mother discovering the DNA match was different. For something like that I
feel it's not the maturity of the technique but the expertise behind it's
usage.

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crankylinuxuser
I'm pretty sure there can be a "birthday paradox" variant of attack on
genetics with respect to finding cold cases.

How many people need to voluntarily submit to genetic databases before cold
cases can be connected easily across the population?

Even though it's easy to discuss "criminals", we also should be discussing
genetic privacy rights alongside that. My own mother went through 23andme and
had her genome mapped. Half of those genetics belong to me, yet 23andme didn't
come to me for any sorts of permission. As far as I'm concerned, half of my
data is in their database with absolutely no consent from me. (Nor have I ever
submitted my dna for any of these companies.)

What am I to do about that? From where I sit, not a damned thing. If I wanted
to have the data that I share with my mom, I too would have to submit to a
full dna mapping. And along with that, what of the ML training of the disease
questions? How do I not only purge _my_ data, and sanitize their model from
that data? I'm just not seeing it.

~~~
Erik816
That is what's funny about DNA. It seems like the most private and personal
thing there is, but you got all of it from other people. As you said, your Mom
can test and share her DNA without your permission, even though you share half
of it. The same is true for the thousands of other relatives you have out
there who all share parts of your DNA. So your particular genome is highly
personal, but it's made up of shared data that you don't have any hope of
being able to keep private.

~~~
est31
The actual thing that those companies like 23andme get is your consent. Your
genes already stick on everything you touch. They are basically public.

If you refund something bought at an online retailer, they _could_
theoretically use the opportunity to sequence your genes. But they don't
because they need your consent. But then again, genes are just biological
manifestation of data and in your TOS you agree to them processing your data
and using it to recommend products to you don't you? If most people don't care
how many data companies collect about them, will they care if the online
retailer is doing something like this?

