Govt-approved covid testing labs should not be allowed to sell your DNA for profit

[noblegiraffe]

Shocking story in the Times says that a government approved PCR testing firm (for international travel and sporting events) had small print buried in their Terms and Conditions that allows them to sell customer DNA and information to 3rd parties.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/testing-firm-can-profit-from-sale-of-covid-swabs-w6vkb2f2f

This is currently being investigated by the ICO, however it's not clear whether they have already sold people's DNA and personal details. They have conducted up to 3 million tests since last June, including on children.

How lax is the government approval process that allowed this to happen? Where's the oversight? What with the Immensa scandal where an unaccredited lab was allowed to issue thousands of incorrect PCR results, the outsourcing of public heath to private companies seems to be turning into a disaster.

Some digging into the guy behind the company here twitter.com/fascinatorfun/status/1459813384027791366?s=21

I wonder, cynically, whether that was the company’s aim all along.

Just appalling.

And it will put more people off testing.

Someone has voted that I'm being unreasonable and must therefore think it's acceptable for government-approved labs to sell people's DNA for profit without fully informed consent.

I'd be interested to hear their argument justifying this.

Omg where will it bloody end this is appalling!!

Distinct lack of interest in this topic it seems.

It's your DNA. Do you want a private firm digging into your DNA to find out if you've got a predisposition to cancer or something? What could they then do with that info? Flog it to insurance companies?

Weren't the conspiracy theorists saying this would happen right at the start, but were laughed at and mocked at the very suggestion?

Just because you're paranoid.... etc...

This is shocking

I don't think it's just covid conspiracy theorists who have been concerned about the outsourcing of healthcare to private firms? There seems to be a distinct lack of regulation involved here which is worrying, particularly as the company is government-approved.

It's my DNA if anyone is to profit from it it should be me. Get they get sued for millions.

This is absolutely shocking. Thanks for posting.

And yes, it does seem to be yet another "conspiracy", the likes of which were laughed at in the beginning, actually playing out.

@thenightsky

Weren't the conspiracy theorists saying this would happen right at the start, but were laughed at and mocked at the very suggestion?

I think fairly normal people, far from being conspiracy theorists but with a clear idea of the venality and greed demonstrated by our current Government, were suggesting this, and, yes, they were dismissed and laughed at for suggesting it.

@RedHelenB

It's my DNA if anyone is to profit from it it should be me. Get they get sued for millions.

The twitter thread I linked to shows that the company has yet to file any accounts so suing them is unlikely to result in much compensation.

Only incorporated in June 2020. The failed Immensa lab was incorporated in May 2020.

Seems like there were some utter parasites ready and waiting to profit from the pandemic and the govt handed them everything they needed.

Havnt read but it the DNA being sold with patient details? Or anonymous?

I suspect there will be a lot of dodgy practice exposed from the Covid industry that rapidly sprang up from 2020. A huge amount has been invested in it and not through acts of philanthropy. The people/ organisations involved will be wanting their returns from it.

To continue an active life, people have been put between a rock and a hard place in chosing to engage (or not) with these types of service.

@Hankunamatata

Havnt read but it the DNA being sold with patient details? Or anonymous?

The Times article says "Its “research programme information sheet” — last updated on October 21 — states that the company retains data including “biological samples ... and the DNA obtained from such samples”, as well as “genetic information derived from processing your DNA sample ... using various technologies such as genotyping and whole or partial genome sequencing”. It combines this with “self- reported health and trait data” — such as information voluntarily shared by customers about their medical history — and “information we obtain from other sources, such as publicly available demographic information”.

So yeah, totally identifiable.

Yeah, a lot of things are starting to come true..

Here's a share token for the article:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/095e7d2a-44d2-11ec-b414-b1f6389ab345?shareToken=6983a979a4eb416a05409bee304d5500

Thanks, Brie!

3 people have voted that this is reasonable...would they care to comment?

I’ve just read about this by clicking “accept all” on a link which will probably sell all my info too 😂

Thank you for posting and highlighting this.

Of course this was going to happen.

It was such a golden opportunity that someone was going to be in a loophole to exploit.

Absolutely disgusting

Of course you’re right. Public healthcare should not be in the hands of profit driven private companies. This sort of thing also increases mistrust of public owned services which are very highly regulated and controlled.

Presumably GDPR and medical ethics regs will stop this now???

Or am I naïve?

This is currently being investigated by the ICO, however it's not clear whether they have already sold people's DNA and personal details.

Does the article actually say that the DNA will be sold with names attached? I think there is zero probability that that is actually happening.

Far more likely is that DNA is being sold without names attached, which I would regard as a complete non-issue.