It's a cliché, but it's true: We're all one big family. The common ancestor of every European lived only 600 years ago. Between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago Mitochondrial Eve, the most recent matrilineal common ancestor of every human being, was living in Africa. In the last few years millions of people have been spitting into tubes so that private companies can help them find out where they fit on humanity's family tree. As a result, families have found lost loved ones, and racists have had to tackle reality. What's not to like?
While many people are enjoying the genealogical research aided by companies such as 23andMe, Ancestry.com, and MyHeritage, they are also unaware that law enforcement is using them as “genetic informants.” In fact, Family Tree DNA has been allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to submit suspects' DNA in order to investigate unsolved violent crimes. While catching violent criminals is a laudable goal, this technique raises difficult privacy concerns.
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