Quote:
Originally Posted by markids77
Many people don't fully understand the complete ramifications of giving their genetic identity to a for profit, loosely monitored corporation with pretty small government oversight. Yes, they can link any individual in their database to any other family member no matter how distantly removed. And give predictions about presenting with genetically determined disease. And hazard a guess about the person's potential longevity.... and much much more.
I am astounded by the seeming lack of common sense caution the general public displays over surrendering their "blueprint" on the open market just because they might be curious about the place their ancestors are from.
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The other side of the coin is knowing more about what ailments and diseases your ancestors died from can go a long way in managing your own health care. This is especially true for people who were adopted. I knew my ancestry pretty well before DNA, but every year at my annual physical my doctor asks me questions about my ancestors and siblings. This info can help, for instance in a case where several of your ancestors had colon cancer at, say, age 40. This would guide a decision to start colonoscopies at a much younger age than the norm. By the way, Ancestry does not give out medical information. You would find this info yourself by contacting relatives and getting information from them, or doing other public records searches on your own.
I don't know about other places, but Ancestry.com does not put your information "on the market" and will destroy such information at your request anytime.