Hi all,
I came across an article at The Marketing Pilgrim, written by David Vogelpohl, titled “Tin Foil Hat Alert: Is Google Indexing Your DNA?“.
The article talks critically about Google’s acquisition of 23andme, a privately owned DNA sequencing enterprise. In other words, a website working towards Google’s aim. And they’re taking the Mickey off Google because a co-founder of 23andme is Anne Wojcicki, Sergey Brin’s wife.
They also talk about Google prying into our private lives. Actually, they’ve got it all wrong.
Google’s aim is simple. Sequence every part of the Human 46 chromosomal DNA and find out which part deals with what, and make it available on the internet for searching. By doing this, Google allows people to compare their DNA’s with the Google database for diseases or other disorders, thereby making DNA scanning free of cost, and easy to do. It also allows information inherited traits, ancestry and genealogy.
No one’s asking you to submit your DNA on the internet. No body is forcing you to give your DNA. Its in no way NECESSARY to check your DNA with the Google databases.
23andMe along with Google can make milestones in the biotechnology world! Here, David is making implications to Google’s involving in a bad guy scenario like in Michael Crichton’s book, Next, doing biogenetical crimes. Yeesh! Fiction is Fiction buddy!
[tags]23andme, Google, genetics, genetical search, DNA search, DNA indexing[/tags]
May 29th, 2007 at 1:23 am
I’d also point out that Google has not in fact aquired 23andme, merely invested a fairly small amount in them
May 30th, 2007 at 7:34 pm
Woops. That too