Taking a DNA test is one of the best ways to learn more about who you are, the ethnic group you came from, and the history you may have lost.
But before you buy any African Ancestry DNA testing kit, you might want to read those terms of service.
We warned you about DNA companies that exploit your genetic information (read We Tried 4 African Ancestry DNA Testing Kits And The Winner Is Not Who You Think). What AncestryDNA buried in their terms of service scared the sh*t out of us. Here is what they told us.
According to the Terms of Service, “it is possible that information about you or a genetic relative could be revealed, such as that you or a relative are carriers of a particular disease. That information could be used by insurers to deny you insurance coverage, by law enforcement agencies to identify you or your relatives, and in some places, the data could be used by employers to deny employment.,”
Now, more companies are getting in on the act. In 2017, US President Donald Trump signed the Rapid DNA Act into law. This act gave police the power to take DNA samples from people who are arrested but not yet convicted of a crime.
Police have taken this act a step further by creating a nation of suspects based on a massive national DNA database. And where are they getting this DNA from? Companies like AncestryDNA and now FamilyTree DNA.
FamilyTreeDNA confirmed a report from BuzzFeed that it has quietly granted the Federal Bureau of Investigation access to its vast trove of nearly 2 million genetic profiles. – Source
“The deal between FamilyTreeDNA and the FBI is deeply flawed,” said John Verdi, vice president of policy at the Future of Privacy Forum, which maintains the list. “It’s out of line with industry best practices, it’s out of line with what leaders in the space do and it’s out of line with consumer expectations.”
The Best DNA test for African American Ancestry Is Still…
This article is not meant to discourage you from taking a DNA test. Testing is one of the best ways to gain knowledge of who you are, how you came to be, and the truth about your ancestry.
We have done dozens of African DNA test reviews. And the winner is still clear.
Since both Ancestry.com and 23andMe use your DNA for law enforcement, experimentation, and exploitation, and since other Ancestry.com even keeps and owns your DNA long after you die – just like they did still do with Henrietta Lacks.
That leaves us with one winner: MyHeritage DNA
- Discover your ancestry and find relatives you never knew existed on both your maternal and paternal sides.
- Get a detailed ethnicity breakdown with the most comprehensive list of ethnicities in the industry: 42 regions, including 7 East...
- Simple DNA test kit with a cheek swab - takes only 2 minutes to complete.
They have the lowest price, the most comprehensive DNA autosomal DNA testing, and the most ethnic groups in their database. They also have some of the highest reviews of all DNA testing kits out there. Most importantly, they do not sell or allow other agencies to use your genetic material. If that changes in the future, we will update this article.
So if you are ready to find out who you really are, where you came from, and fill in your family tree without going into a government database, go with MyHeritage.
These DNA kits are an excellent way of going about building a government DNA database and the customer pays the company for the privilege of creating that database index on them. I’m surprised more people didn’t consider the threat such a database would be for them without some reflection and community discussion on the matter.
However, if the devilry in such services are indeed in the details, then the company’s not doing anything secretly, we’re just being slack in maintaining our own vigilance.