The iPhone Is Just the Beginning: FBI Already Accessing Your DNABy Jake Anderson They were right, and yetanotherconspiracy theory becomesconspiracy fact It turns out both the FBI and local law enforcement departments routinely seek DNA samples from these companies for familial DNA searches. In fact, according toAncestry.coms recently releasedtransparency report, the company received 14 law enforcement requests in 2015. They provided customers information in 13 of those cases. A similar, recently released report by23andMe discloses there were four law enforcement requests to the company in 2015. The issue has received increased attention in part because of a frightening article by Wired. The story recounted the legal imbroglio filmmaker Michael Usry endured after Idaho Falls police matched 34 of 35 alleles from a crime scene to Usrys fathers DNA. Years earlier, his father had donated some DNA to a genealogy project funded by his Mormon church. Ancestry.com purchased the project and made the database of samples publicly available. Though Idaho Falls police ultimately concluded Usry was not involved in the murder of Angie Dodge, they had been able to obtain a search warrant for Michaels cheek cells based on the sample they found online. Ancestry.com didnt realize police would be able to use their information to conduct genetic searches, but as they would soon learn, law enforcement authorities around the country are looking to expand their ability to conduct DNA searches beyond the FBIs current national genetic database. Anti-Media reached out to Ancestry.com for more information regarding how the company responds to national security requests. They referred to their transparency report, which states: As of December 31, 2015, Ancestry has never received a classified request pursuant to the national security laws of the United States or any other country. In other words, Ancestry has not received a National Security Letter or a request under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Could this change in the wake of a terrorist attack? In the midst of the increasingly rancorous debate over civil liberties and national defense epitomized by the FBIs court case against Apple it doesnt seem like too big of a stretch, given the right political climate, to imagine private DNA databases being turned over to Homeland Security. In Kuwait, citizens must submit their DNA to a government database to assist with criminal cases. Some actually argue the United States should have a similar mandatory DNA database, though this seems unlikely to gain widespread support given the backlash over electronic privacy violations in the aftermath of controversial NSA surveillance programs. For now, the debate revolves around whether the United States government and local law enforcement should have the legal authority to access private DNA databases while investigating crimes. There hasnt been a major Supreme Court ruling on this issue, so for the time being, companies like 23andMe and Ancestry.com will have to deal with police requests on a case-by-case basis. As 23andMes first privacy officer Kate Black has stated: In the event we are required by law to make a disclosure, we will notify the affected customer through the contact information provided to us, unless doing so would violate the law or a court order. This article (The iPhone Is Just the Beginning: FBI Already Accessing Your DNA) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Jake Anderson and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. Image credit: thierry ehrmann. If you spot a typo, email edits@theantimedia.org. I called them [23me] the last time an article like this came out they swore they would not give anything out without a warrant. Hmmm this is quite an around they are pushing toward. I think letters need to be written to 23me and Ancestry by anyone who has used these services. Be sure to also set anything you do on these sites as private as well. Today, a warrant is a meaningless piece of paper that any redneck LEO can obtain from a half drunk justice of the peace. And who says they have to be rednecked? Your sense of superiority is showing. Not all you allude to are as you suppose. Youve failed to mention a graver issue: the irresponsibility of some police in invading homes without a warrantmeaningless piece of paper, or no. But for the slight, I agree with your assessment. I emailed 23andMe and asked if the Gov. has access to their DNA data base. They told me there were some requests from the FDA but they (23andMe) blocked them from getting them. They said should the FDA request my data, they would inform me that they had to turn it over by law. Well, not that Im a terrorist, but once you give a sample of your DNA, if the FDA wants itthey will get it. So being informed they had to turn it over, my privacy would be violated. I Hitler only had the technology our Hitler has. 