Data security hacks and scandals have riddled global headlines – and rightly so. With more data on servers than ever before and more advanced technology than ever before we’ve watched compromises in data security evolve from identity theft and credit card fraud to manipulated elections. Now that we have a significant and rapidly growing number of DNA tests being taken, the MyHeritage hack is evidence that the threat of genomic data theft is very real.

While unauthorized sharing of your Facebook data might give companies enough information to try and sway your vote in the next election, the theft or simply the mishandling of your genomic data could have a dramatic impact on your life.

Studies have shown it’s possible for someone to determine your identity from genomic data, as well as whether you’re susceptible to diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, or early onset cancer. Your genomic data falling into the wrong hands could be used to compromise your ability to get insurance, become involved in a financial transaction, adopt a child or much more.

Few things in this world are more personal than your DNA. Imagine being part of a family with a long history of breast cancer, then facing larger premiums for medical insurance or even being denied life insurance. A hack of your Facebook updates might seem miniscule in comparison.

In the past, the theft of private information from your genes would have cost too much money to be profitable, but that has changed and the industry needs to prepare for this.

What’s the likelihood of your DNA data being stolen?

The way genomic data has traditionally been stored makes it susceptible to being stolen in the same ways that hackers can get your personal or financial data. This risk has already been exposed when the MyHeritage hackers leaked data from 92 million accounts.

Once acquired, your personal genomic data could be subjected to the type of unauthorized sale that has plagued millions with credit files.

Policymakers and security experts are doing what they can to protect our genetic information, but it’s arguably not happening quickly enough.

That’s why EncrypGen has committed to a highly secure method of storing, managing and documenting the transfer of genomic data on an immutable blockchain ledger which EncrypGen calls the Gene-Chain.

What could happen if someone got their hands on your genomic data?

With the exception of selling your DNA data on the rapidly growing genomic data market, it’s been suggested that information gained from a mass data breach would be pretty useless unless it could be connected to personal information and personal data is encrypted on most mainstream genetic databases.

However, a 2013 MIT study proved that anonymous genetic data could potentially be self-identifying. The study involved ten anonymous volunteers who allowed their genomic data to be accessed by scientists. The scientists submitted this data into YSearch, a website that can estimate someone’s surname using Y chromosome data, then used these likely surnames to try and identify the volunteers using publicly available data. They were successful for five out of the ten volunteers.

In the case that an individual is aware of the person behind the data, the consequences could be far more severe.

Imagine a situation where you are amidst divorce proceedings and your soon to be ex-spouse uses your genomic data to prove you have a propensity to mental illness during a custody battle. Or a rival for a new job used it to reveal genetic variants that put you at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. This study, regarding the genetic privacy of politicians, features many more examples of how genomic data hacks could be used for unethical purposes.

If the head of Cambridge Analytica can claim that Facebook data was enough for them to sway the U.S Presidential election, imagine what advertisers could achieve with masses of genetic data.

How you can protect your DNA data from falling in the wrong hands

Sheldon Krimsky, the chair of the Council for Responsible Genetics, has warned individuals to know the rules for getting DNA removed from databases and to always read the agreements before sending a sample off to a DNA testing company or genomic sequencing lab.

“Make sure your information is not going to be sold or given to someone else. If it is, then perhaps think twice about it,” he said.

At EncrypGen, we think businesses not only have a responsibility to protect their customer’s DNA data, but they also have an ethical responsibility to clearly and completely disclose what they intend to do with that data. Parallel to that, we believe that they should also provide a simple way for the customer to opt out of their data being used or sold for any reason to any third party without consent or compensation. As it stands, individual data owners have no knowledge or control over who their data is sold to and whether or not the buyer is storing it securely or even reselling it.

The Genie is Already Out of the Bottle

The genie is already out of the bottle and the genomic data revolution has already begun. Now that the practice of DNA testing companies selling their customer’s DNA data for huge profits has been exposed, individuals are reclaiming their raw DNA data files from DNA testing companies and uploading their raw data to the Gene-Chain. If you paid 23andme or another DNA testing company to test your DNA for ancestry or health purposes, you may reclaim your raw DNA data files. To learn how to download your raw data file and upload it to the Gene-Chain, click here.

If your company sells DNA and health related products or services and you are interested in becoming a partner member in the Gene-Chain Marketplace click here.

Data users including researchers, Pharma labs, medical centers, universities and sequencing companies interested in searching de-personalized DNA data profiles and buying raw data on the Gene-Chain, click here.

To learn more about EncrypGen, blockchain technology and the world’s first Genomic Data Marketplace join the EncrypGen community on Telegram at t.me/EncrypgenDNA.