This paper shows the astonishing (and sometimes frightening) power of combining today's genetic research with public Internet databases. Unfortunately, there is not a lot that can be done in terms of "additional privacy safeguards" other than not releasing chromosome Y data to begin with—the information is out there and continues to grow. This situation, clearly, may lead to people being more reluctant to participate in research, which could become a problem, as the authors acknowledge. It may be very difficult to resolve this situation to everyone's satisfaction.
Comments
University of Lübeck
This paper shows the astonishing (and sometimes frightening) power of combining today's genetic research with public Internet databases. Unfortunately, there is not a lot that can be done in terms of "additional privacy safeguards" other than not releasing chromosome Y data to begin with—the information is out there and continues to grow. This situation, clearly, may lead to people being more reluctant to participate in research, which could become a problem, as the authors acknowledge. It may be very difficult to resolve this situation to everyone's satisfaction.
Make a Comment
To make a comment you must login or register.