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You sent spit for private DNA analysis. How long before the police get it?

Posted on April 28, 2018June 25, 2025 by Dissent

Stuart Leavenworth reports:

Law enforcement scored a breakthrough this week by using a DNA match to identify a suspect in California’s East Area Rapist case. But that tactic has put genetic testing companies on the defensive and raised questions about their ability to protect consumer privacy as investigators increasingly seek out DNA databases to solve crimes.

Major testing companies such as Ancestry and 23andMe quickly denied being the source of genetic analysis that led Sacramento County deputies to arrest Joseph James DeAngelo as the notorious East Area Rapist, also known as the Golden State Killer. But those companies are rapidly building the world’s largest DNA databases, which they may not be able to keep private if law enforcement uses court warrants and other means to access the data.

Read more on McClatchy DC.

Related posts:

  • DNA Dragnet: In Some Cities, Police Go From Stop-and-Frisk to Stop-and-Spit
Category: SurveillanceU.S.

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2 thoughts on “You sent spit for private DNA analysis. How long before the police get it?”

  1. Steve says:
    April 28, 2018 at 10:32 am

    It isn’t like getting DNA is hard.

    Disney already grabs fingerprints. Next they will demand a swab or you cannot enter. A crying child at the disneyland/world/euro gates will cause any parent to submit.

    If your company wants your DNA, they can just pick some hair from your workspace like in GATTACA.

    1. Dissent says:
      April 28, 2018 at 5:28 pm

      I don’t know about the workplace situation. There may be some laws preventing that. But you’re absolutely right about Disney. I was appalled when they started with fingerprints. I still am.

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