The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Want My DNA? Get a Warrant

Posted on | March 28, 2025 | 36 Comments

The Fifth Amendment protects me against self-incrimination — that’s what the Miranda warning is all about, and I committed that to memory long before I ever found myself in handcuffs, but this is not the time or place to be regaling you with tales of my juvenile delinquency. No, I’m here to talk about the bankruptcy of 23andMe, a company that enjoyed a meteoric surge of popularity before it came crashing down for several reasons, including the “Golden State Killer” case.

There’s this thing called forensic genealogy, where investigators can compare a DNA sample taken at a crime scene to DNA in databases and, even if there is no direct match, they can narrow down the possible suspects by using the DNA of their relatives. A criminal might have gotten away scot-free with his evil deeds, but unfortunately for him, his Aunt Bessie got a 23andMe kit for Christmas a few years ago and . . .

Look, I can understand the curiosity factor. Wouldn’t it be fun to find out you’re more Cherokee than Elizabeth Warren? Or, in my case, that I really am descended from Rollo the Viking? Having scientific proof of your ancestry would be nice, but what happens after the testing company dumps your DNA into a database somewhere? It’s not difficult to imagine the downside risks and, even if none of your cousins turns out to be a serial killer, there might be other unintended consequences.

However much I might desire the genetic evidence sufficient to flaunt my pedigree — e.g., the Crusdader prince of Antioch alleged to be a distant ancestor — you’re not going to trick me into sending off a DNA sample that might get sold to the highest bidder for who knows what purpose.

Ed Driscoll linked to an interesting column about the 23andMe bankruptcy, and that inspired me to add my own two cents:

A robust sense of identity is a sort of inoculation against the “Woke Mind Virus,” which explains a lot about the bizarre fascination with DNA testing that took hold after Oprah Winfrey’s 2017 recommendation of 23andMe. Kat Rosenfield examines “the tale of a zeitgeist fueled by both the self-loathing of white liberals and a reflexive anti-Americanism throughout the mainstream.” A major reason many white liberals were so interested in 23andMe was because of the possibility that they might learn they weren’t 100% white. If they could only find a single percentage point of ancestry that was non-European, they could identify as Official Victims of Oppression. . . .

Read the whole thing at Substack and, while you’re there, please consider signing up for a free subscription. Thanks in advance.



 

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