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Business Daily: Family tree DNA data crack cold cases

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31/05/2021 GMT

Family tree DNA data crack cold cases

BBC World Service - Business Daily, Family tree DNA data crack cold cases

But booming forensic genealogy industry raises privacy concerns

In the US - but increasingly in other countries too -  cold case murder, sexual assaults, and unidentified person cases once thought unsolvable are being cracked thanks to the proliferation of public genetic databases. But with this success come deep worries for our DNA data.
Ivana Davidovic talks to Brett Williams,  the CEO of Verogen - the owner of GEDMatch consumer DNA database -  about their business decision to cooperate with the police, privacy concerns and new opportunities opening up in countries like Mexico and Vietnam.
We also hear from Tina Franke, whose daughter Christine Franke was murdered in Florida in 2001. She speaks of her relief at the unexpected progress in the investigation after almost two decades.
Professor Andrew MacLeod tells us about his project - in conjunction with King's College London - to harness forensic genealogy to identify perpetrators of sexual violence in the aid industry.
And law professor Natalie Ram explains the pioneering legislation being brought in the US state of Maryland designed to regulate the industry much more tightly.

PHOTO: Forensic scientist collecting evidence/Getty Images

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