Free DNA Test.

[NOLALady]

Ancestry is offering free DNA tests for members until November 6th 2011.

[iverglas]

1. I would think long and hard

before putting my or my family's DNA information in a databank controlled by Mormons.

I've found ancestors of mine in trees on line identified as "cleared" or whatever their mormonic terminology is for that posthumous baptism (however they dissemble on that point), and that's bad enough. Makes my skin crawl.

Allowing them to hold genetic information that would enable more of them to engage in this disrespectful activity is not my idea of a good thing. Obviously I realize that posthumous baptism affects neither the dead nor the living, it just turns my stomach and offends my principles.

Yes, they give privacy assurances.

http://dna.ancestry.com/faq.aspx

I don't trust them.

I discovered recently that I had a family tree at Ancestry that I did not put there. It showed my full real name (my username is something else altogether). So for I don't know how long, anyone who clicked on my username on a census correction or discussion board post, and then through to the family tree I didn't know was there, was seeing my identity.

Ancestry denied that the system had done this, but that was an outright lie since I know beyond an absolute certainty that I did not do it, and since I found it had also been done for a separate account I had had there through a different country portal for a different set of records. The trees had been generated from my account information, which contained my real name. I did not provide that information to Ancestry for the purpose of creating a family tree visible to any subscriber to the site, and I was not asked for and did not give consent to the disclosure of that information.

As well, I found family trees on their mirror Mundia site that were identified as private, i.e. not visible without permission, at Ancestry, but were fully visible at Mundia.

Family Tree DNA, for example, will do the testing with no personal information whatsoever associated with the analysis (if you pay by money order, for instance, you need never disclose even a name) -- with Ancestry you have to be a registered user, and while you could of course make up a name, most people will just blithely give out the personal info that is then associated with their DNA analysis.

Genealogy involves a fine balance between disclosure and protection of personal information, one's own and one's family members'. I recommend serious thought and caution before deciding to disclose it to anyone, including Ancestry.

[sybylla]

2. Unfortunately, I have to agree.

The people who own Ancestry have a history of ignoring their privacy agreements as well as the stipulations you put on your own accounts. I can only imagine what they will do with people's DNA information.

As the saying goes - there is no such thing as a free lunch.