Not So Secret

Just how private is your DNA, asks an article in Salon. The story covers the pros and cons of inadvertently making your DNA public by buying personal genome services, for instance, and how your code might eventually be misused. "The promise of these tests includes drugs that may someday be tailored to treat your illnesses," the story says. "The peril is that your personal data could circulate more widely than you expect." Blaine Bettinger, who is a customer of 23andMe, was interviewed, and he's a bit more optimistic about data handling. "They have every incentive to keep information private," he says. "A security breach would be devastating for those companies."