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From the email they just sent out, it sounds like they took on board the feedback they were getting about giving users the option to stay involved in DNA matching, but opt out of law-enforcement having access:
Quote:
We are emailing you to notify you of changes that we have made to our Terms of Service, Privacy Statement, and other guidelines and processes which govern how law enforcement may use our site. We now require all law enforcement authorities to register accounts under a special process, designed specifically for law enforcement and third parties working with law enforcement, which allows them to participate in our DNA matching program.
Our new policy changes to allow registration of law enforcement accounts will take effect today, March 12th.
If you do not wish to be matched with these designated law enforcement registered users, you have the ability to opt out by adjusting your Matching Preferences, which now includes an option to opt-out of Law Enforcement Matching. User accounts created prior to March 12th, 2019 that are flagged as an EU account have been opted out of Law Enforcement Matching but may choose to opt in.
From the email they just sent out, it sounds like they took on board the feedback they were getting about giving users the option to stay involved in DNA matching, but opt out of law-enforcement having access:
Thanks for letting us know. We can always count on you to be on top of things like this.
They had to do something because they were getting pounded on facebook with every post they made people were not happy; others would tell people how to turn off sharing. I'm not big on facebook but have been making a point of watching what's been said on the main sites. It's carried over to Ancestry, My Heritage and 23 and me asking if they allow law enforcement access.
People have been commenting on 23 and me asking why everyone else has sales yet they do not.
I just logged into my account, turned matching back on, sure enough there is an option to opt into law enforcement that automatically turned on when I turned matching on, so people have to watch for that. They need to check their settings to make sure it's on or off. I'm skeptical that there are no LE looking at matches; I assume it will take time for them to change over to their new group. Are we to assume they've already changed their access? I actually would have allowed it with my profile but not my relatives but I'm not going to because of the way they want about it with telling us after the fact. LE has been there since some time in 2018 from what I've read.
I don't understand this. It looks like what you posted, PA2UK, is opting out of being DNA matched with someone in law enforcement. Why would you want to exclude a match just because of someone's choice of employment. What you quoted doesn't have one word about law enforcement having access to DNA records.
Help me understand and form an opinion. Is law enforcement access to DNA data generally considered undesirable?
I don't understand this. It looks like what you posted, PA2UK, is opting out of being DNA matched with someone in law enforcement. Why would you want to exclude a match just because of someone's choice of employment. What you quoted doesn't have one word about law enforcement having access to DNA records.
Help me understand and form an opinion. Is law enforcement access to DNA data generally considered undesirable?
FTDNA has been allowing law enforcement to upload various types of crime scene DNA since some time last year. They never told us they did it either. It some how came out a few months ago, people are livid. Some deleted their DNA while others like me turned DNA matching off.
See PA2UK's 1st thread about this. As you probably know, click the arrow in the quote below to be taken to her original thread.
Note: "On a case-by-case basis, the company has agreed to test DNA samples for the FBI and upload profiles to its database, allowing law enforcement to see familial matches to crime-scene samples. FamilyTreeDNA said law enforcement may not freely browse genetic data but rather has access only to the same information any user might."
Any company that allows DNA uploads from the public can allow law enforcement to do the same. They’re not doing anything you, me, or Joe Shmoe can’t do and they don't have access to anything we don't. It’d be like saying law enforcement can’t use the phone book to get someone’s contact details, even though the phone book is available to anyone else. It’s a public database, this is what public means.
Help me understand and form an opinion. Is law enforcement access to DNA data generally considered undesirable?
It is by those who fear a "police State."
I do fear a "police State" but I don't see DNA access as a problem.
I tested with both Ancestry and Family Tree precisely so everyone could see my DNA and I don't care who does.
If my DNA can help identify a John or Jane Doe rotting in a morgue and bring closure to a grieving family, or put someone in jail to bring closure to a family and justice to the family and society, while prevent others from suffering at the hands of a criminal, then I'm all for it.
Family Tree actually has two options, one for opting out of law enforcement searches, and the other for opting out of searches by all others.
I've had several family members as murder victims, but none unsolved. I would not, of course, necessarily know about unsolved rapes.
There is no law that bars me from conducting my own independent investigation of any crime anywhere in the US.
As a former police officer, detective sergeant and private investigator, it's not like I don't know how to do that.
If there was an unsolved murder or rape in my family, I would be accessing DNA to identify the perpetrator.
I do fear a "police State" but I don't see DNA access as a problem.
I tested with both Ancestry and Family Tree precisely so everyone could see my DNA and I don't care who does.
If my DNA can help identify a John or Jane Doe rotting in a morgue and bring closure to a grieving family, or put someone in jail to bring closure to a family and justice to the family and society, while prevent others from suffering at the hands of a criminal, then I'm all for it.
Family Tree actually has two options, one for opting out of law enforcement searches, and the other for opting out of searches by all others.
I've had several family members as murder victims, but none unsolved. I would not, of course, necessarily know about unsolved rapes.
There is no law that bars me from conducting my own independent investigation of any crime anywhere in the US.
As a former police officer, detective sergeant and private investigator, it's not like I don't know how to do that.
If there was an unsolved murder or rape in my family, I would be accessing DNA to identify the perpetrator.
So...now what are you going to do?
If you want your DNA to identify John and Jane Does upload to GEDmatch Genesis so DNA Doe Project can have access to it. They have not been given access to FTDNA yet. They are trying last I heard. I know a few people there. The day they give access to DDP I will allow mine to be accessed.
My biggest issue is they are a private company who said they will fight for us to not be included unless LE got a subpoena but they changed that and didn't tell us
Last edited by Roselvr; 03-14-2019 at 12:15 AM..
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