Have you done one of those ancestry DNA kits or have any thoughts on them?

[Whatsmyageagain0]

My DM is the hardest to buy for. She always says ‘don’t buy me anything’ but of course we are going to.

Anyway, she’s always interested in her family tree and ancestry Etc so I thought about getting one of those kits online (and taken in by Black Friday)

Does anyone have any experience of them or thoughts on them?

Yes I have done one and got them for my parents last year. They went down really well and seemed to match up fairly well to what we had always thought!

Also get regular updates as their data and accuracy changes over time

No experience but I wouldn't be happy for my dna records being stored.

@iswhois

Ok good to know. As it’s all online is it easy to see your results and store them? Did it tell you about relatives out there who had a match?

@HowlsMovingBungalow

At the age of 68 I don’t think she will be bothered about someone having her dna 😂 but I get what you mean

I did it recently. Fascinating.

@venusClapTrap

Which company did you buy it from? There is a few

At the age of 68 I don’t think she will be bothered about someone having her dna 😂 but I get what you mean

They will also have part of your dna.

I did the Ancestry one.

I saw this on a fictional American programme being used to refuse an insurance payout due to an inherited medical problem. Makes me wonder if this might eventually happen over here.

There was a flurry of Facebook posts by friends who'd had it done, some of them with some quite random, unexpected results. It was fascinating to read, and I thought about getting one done myself, but as a pp said, the idea of my DNA being on someone's database, for anything other than legitimate medical purposes, put me off in the end. Does anyone know if they destroy the samples afterwards?

I’m a bit torn. I’d be really curious to know the results but, like a PP, I’d be funny with a company storing my DNA. Isn’t there one where they match up people who are related?

Data gathering, pure and simple. The "find out your ancestry" promise is just to lure you in. If you're white British, guess what?? YOU'RE 17% IRISH and 19% SWEDISH! Quelle surprise...

Eoin Reading the small print on a few of the kits, most keep the samples

Do you just buy the test, or do you need to register with Ancestry first? I would love to try it, as there are many old stories in my family about ethnic origins, and this would hopefully prove them true. Also I heard the postage costs are huge?

Hmm so far from your replies I’m 50/50

Might have to go back to the drawing board on a DM Xmas gift

I heard a story about someone who did this and it seemed very detailed in that he was given details of others that shared his profile. He ended up contacting those relatives. When i heard that I thought no way as I have too many dodgy relatives as it is. I don't know if that is the ancestry one though or another one.

I'd want to know a bit more about how accurate they were and whether the results actually meant anything.

I did the Ancestry test three years ago. It has proved that my Dad is my biological father, which was a bit of a surprise. It has also enabled me identify an ancestor who emigrated to the US in 1855 and has linked me to his descendants there, as well as confirming which family he belongs to in the UK.

DH also did one, which proved that a family story from the 1870s was correct. DH is a very ordinary sort of chap, who turns out to have a snippet of very aristocratic DNA and a smidge of royal blood, rather like Danny Dyer.

Fascinating stuff.

I did the ancestry one having spent a lot of time over the past few years doing research on the site and elsewhere. The Dna results matched the findings of my family tree research.

They’re a complete con.

I watched a documentary a while back where they took a DNA sample and labelled it with three different names. The tests all came back different, with different percentages and even different alleged relatives.

Added to which paying someone to store your DNA on file where it could be accessed by who knows who is a slippery slope.

I wouldn’t be happy if someone bought one for me.

I’m a bit thick with this but, if someone had my DNA would could things could they do with it?
I am naive.

Spell check 🙄

What things could they do with my DNA if they stored it that you are worried about?
Genuine question not being funny or anything

God knows what they will be able to do in the future with thousands and thousands of DNA samples? They ain't having mine.

I would love to have mine done, but
A) the concerns about DNA storage and marketing are a little scary
B) also a little scary is the knowledge that you could open a whole can of worms with regard to familial relationships. What if the result shows that your DM does not share the DNA of someone she thought she was related to, or is later approached by a genetic half-sibling who she never knew existed? Even if unlikely, it's possible that your grandad might have had a fling resulting in a pregnancy before or after meeting your granny. Would your DM want to know? I'm not sure I would!

If someone had my DNA what could they do with it

Some people have learned that the man they thought was their father/grandfather was not actually their father. I think you have to think through how you might feel in this scenario.

In the US these samples can be used for law enforcement purposes. Not sure about the UK position. They have been used to identify people who have committed serious crimes and whose DNA is on record. Sometimes the samples have shown up as close matches to DNA stored by the police eg You give a sample. This shows that your father/brother/nephew/cousin/son committed a serious crime and they are arrested and charged. They could also convict your relatives if they committed a serious crime in the future. Again you need to think through how you would feel in these circumstances.

Finally there is a risk that the sample shows up a genetic problem and points to the likelihood that you (and other relatives) will develop a serious illness in the future. This could impact on job prospects, insurance etc.