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It's in our genes to be suspicious of fine print.
So, with the holiday season in full swing, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Sunday called for more scrutiny into popular DNA testing kits — saying unknowing customers may be putting their genetic information at risk of being sold to third parties.
"These are the kits where you swab your cheek or maybe spit into a little vial send it back to a company and in return they're unravel your DNA," Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, said at a news conference Sunday morning.
Schumer cited the rising popularity of home genetic kits and ancestry services, such as Ancestry, 23andMe and MyHeritage, and said some of their terms-of-service agreements weren't clear on just what companies could do with your genetic information.
"Here's what many consumers don't realize, that their sensitive information can end up in the hands of unknown third-party companies," he said. "There are no prohibitions, and many companies say that they can still sell your information to other companies."
"Now, this is sensitive information, and what those companies can do...