Police Demand Confidential information from databases
DNA tests were among the personal data
The increased interest of the state in the personal data of citizens has prompted many companies to publish so–called "transparency reports" - statistics of appeals from law enforcement agencies with demands to disclose certain personal data of users.
These reports have become a common practice for leading Internet companies. However, the company 23andMe, specializing in DNA analysis and genetic tests, decided to unexpectedly follow their example. And the result turned out to be even more unexpected: as it appears from the report, only in the last quarter 23andMe received four requests for disclosure of personal data of its clients from American law enforcement agencies.
The company does not disclose what kind of information it is talking about. However, its security policy refers to the personal data of the names, email addresses of customers, as well as data on their health status and the results of genetic tests. And it is logical to assume that law enforcement officers applied to a company working with DNA tests, not for email addresses.
To the credit of 23andMe, the company did not satisfy any of the requests, since it undertook to disclose information about customers only by order of a court order, which, obviously, was never issued in any of the four cases.
However, the situation looks frightening. On the one hand, the appetites of the special services are no longer satisfied by reading mail messages and listening to citizens' calls – now law enforcement officers are also looking for access to genetic information. And on the other hand, such information stored in digital form itself carries many potential threats. Some company, for example, may be less principled than 23andMe. And hackers are constantly improving their methods. And, perhaps, the day is not far off when, along with bank card data, DNA test results will appear on black Internet markets.
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23.10.2015