Promethease DNA testing

[MichaelB]

This email just arrived. It only affects people that have used Promethease, which test DNA and provides very detailed analysis for free or a very low fee.

We have exciting news to share: Promethease and SNPedia have been acquired by MyHeritage, the leading global platform for exploring family history and gaining valuable health insights. You can read more about the acquisition on the MyHeritage blog.
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On November 1, 2019, DNA files that were uploaded to Promethease previously (by non- European users) will be copied to the MyHeritage website to provide ethnicity estimates and DNA matches for free.

This is the risk of storing one's DNA on a testing site. It may end up elsewhere with less rigorous privacy measures.

 

[Sunset]

Yes, and touching doorknobs leaves a trace for public review.....

Unavoidable as DNA is all over the place.

 

[samclem]

Our privacy/confidentiality laws are woefully lagging technology.

 

[target2019]

This email just arrived. It only affects people that have used Promethease, which test DNA and provides very detailed analysis for free or a very low fee.
This is the risk of storing one's DNA on a testing site. It may end up elsewhere with less rigorous privacy measures.

Log in and delete your stuff. That is an option now, and later.
I'm looking forward to an additional set of matches.
Good idea to download the latest promethease before things transfer, in any event.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

Log in and delete your stuff. That is an option now, and later.
I'm looking forward to an additional set of matches.
Good idea to download the latest promethease before things transfer, in any event.

Yes, that is what I did with Ancestry when I did my DNA check. I found out what it said on the site and then I deleted the information.

 

[Katsmeow]

This email just arrived. It only affects people that have used Promethease, which test DNA and provides very detailed analysis for free or a very low fee.

Promethease does not test DNA. People who have tested elsewhere can (or could) upload the DNA information from testing elsewhere and they could get health related information from Promethease. For example, people who tested at 23andme or Ancestry, etc could choose to download DNA information from those sites and then upload to Promethease.

FWIW, it doesn't really bother me to have my DNA uploaded (not, it isn't the actual DNA just information about certain SNPs) to My Heritage because I already uploaded my DNA to MyHeritage.

For those interested in the medical info from Promethease (I did it when it cost $5. I think it went up in price later on to $12), it is now free to do it from now until the end of this year. Of course, you need DNA results to upload to Promethease since it does no testing of its own. New accounts will be copied over MyHeritage (as will old non-European accounts).

Basically, MyHeritage is a competitor to Ancestry and 23andme which is wanting to expand its health related offerings so it acquired Promethease. Many people (particularly Ancestry users) who wanted health info chose to upload their DNA files to Promethease to get that information. Many are probably like me and already uploaded to MyHeritage for genealogical reasons. Nonetheless, the files can be deleted if for some reason you wanted your file at Promethease but not MyHeritage.

BTW, Promethease is clear that neither it nor MyHeritage claim any ownership of the raw DNA files. Basically people uploaded them, didn't delete them in the past and now Promethease has a new owner. But, you can delete if you want. On the other hand, if you are interested in genetic genealogy and you haven't uploaded already to MyHeritage this will do that for you.

 

[CRLLS]

Our privacy/confidentiality laws are woefully lagging technology.

Laws sadly do not and will not ever "protect" our privacy. The law abiding companies and people are the only ones who follow them. And then there are the "Oops, we're sorry" events like Facebook and Equifax to name just a couple. I consider "privacy" to be a lost concept in today's world.

 

[target2019]

Promethease does not test DNA. People who have tested elsewhere can (or could) upload the DNA information from testing elsewhere and they could get health related information from Promethease. For example, people who tested at 23andme or Ancestry, etc could choose to download DNA information from those sites and then upload to Promethease.

FWIW, it doesn't really bother me to have my DNA uploaded (not, it isn't the actual DNA just information about certain SNPs) to My Heritage because I already uploaded my DNA to MyHeritage.

For those interested in the medical info from Promethease (I did it when it cost $5. I think it went up in price later on to $12), it is now free to do it from now until the end of this year. Of course, you need DNA results to upload to Promethease since it does no testing of its own. New accounts will be copied over MyHeritage (as will old non-European accounts).

Basically, MyHeritage is a competitor to Ancestry and 23andme which is wanting to expand its health related offerings so it acquired Promethease. Many people (particularly Ancestry users) who wanted health info chose to upload their DNA files to Promethease to get that information. Many are probably like me and already uploaded to MyHeritage for genealogical reasons. Nonetheless, the files can be deleted if for some reason you wanted your file at Promethease but not MyHeritage.

BTW, Promethease is clear that neither it nor MyHeritage claim any ownership of the raw DNA files. Basically people uploaded them, didn't delete them in the past and now Promethease has a new owner. But, you can delete if you want. On the other hand, if you are interested in genetic genealogy and you haven't uploaded already to MyHeritage this will do that for you.

Nice reply, Katzmeow.

If you uploaded to several companies, did you find significant (1st to 3rd cousin) additional potential matches at each company?

 

[MichaelB]

Promethease does not test DNA. People who have tested elsewhere can (or could) upload the DNA information from testing elsewhere and they could get health related information from Promethease. For example, people who tested at 23andme or Ancestry, etc could choose to download DNA information from those sites and then upload to Promethease.

You're correct, and mine was a lazy description. Promethease does detailed DNA reporting based on testing by 3rd parties. I also uploaded my DNA from 23andme to Promethease ($5), and did the same for DM. The detail revieved was amazing.

My concern is how this information can be accessed, used and abused by unrelated initiatives. Not so much generic privacy as skillful exploitation by narrow interest against the eventual best interest of the individual donor. Health and life insurance immediately come to mind.

I do not know if any agreement one has with Promethease transfers to the new owner, but I suspect the buyer is free to drop it.

 

[Bestwifeever]

This email just arrived. It only affects people that have used Promethease, which test DNA and provides very detailed analysis for free or a very low fee.
This is the risk of storing one's DNA on a testing site. It may end up elsewhere with less rigorous privacy measures.

Thanks for posting this, Michael. Thought-provoking for DNA but for all the information about us that exists in the digital universe. It looks like people who have their data at Promethease have to delete it in order to opt out of having a MyHeritage account created for them. Per the link in the OP:

Non-European Promethease users who are not interested in having their DNA data and accounts copied to MyHeritage can log in to Promethease and delete their DNA data permanently before November 1st, 2019, and their DNA data and accounts will not be copied. Promethease users will also be able to delete their DNA data and accounts permanently from MyHeritage and Promethease at any point thereafter.

Coincidentally, DD gave an Ancestry.com spit kit after she did one this spring, and just last week I got the non-diverse results. No surprises except I am 2 percent Norwegian.

 

[zinger1457]

I uploaded my 23andme data to Promethease back in 2014 and received their detailed report, at the time they stated my data would be deleted in 45 days and I should download/save the data. Not sure when they started automatically saving the data. I did get an email from Promethease recently notifying me about the acquisition, the email also stated "[FONT=&quot]According to our records, you do not have any DNA data stored on Promethease; therefore, none of your data will be copied and no further action is required". [/FONT]

 

[sengsational]

Getting one pulled over on you certainly feels bad, and if they were saying one thing, and later doing another (while collecting cash), that's aggravating. My question is what are the risks to me of my genetic info being 'out there'? I was more worried about finally having my finger prints "on file", since they can "lift a partial" (I watch lots of Law & Order) and my name could now pop-up (Global Entry), where, for 60 years previously, that could not have happened. I suppose this shared DNA info could be used like that, but I don't think that way now. So the "partial print" problem seems bigger.



Maybe if I were looking for a mate and they wanted to check for some gene, that would be "bad", but I hope never to have any more kids, hehe! On the insurance side, I don't think they'll ever get away with charging higher premiums based on genes. True, they can put you at the scene of a crime, but I doubt they'd even test unless you were on the short list of suspects already. I know this is a ramble, but I'm honestly trying to figure out the bad side of having your DNA 'out there'. Aren't there a bunch of famous people who have published their genome?



Oh, the long lost cousin problem! That actually happened in our family. One of my aunts (now deceased), gave up a kid for adoption. We're actively welcoming her to the family (doesn't hurt she lives in Hawaii). And the paternity "problem". I guess I found a narrow few that might not want shared genome for fear they'd get bad news. Or here, let's say they get better at linking disease risk. You only spit to find cousins, and in today's mail is says "nip that Alzheimer's propensity in the bud with our new drug! Only $1000 per day!".

 

[braumeister]

In any case, I hope people take those reports with a big pinch of salt.

In the past, I gave Promethease my DNA data from both 23andme and ancestry, and read the generated reports. The first thing that struck me was their agreement that I have 7X the normal risk of male baldness. My father and both grandfathers all had a full head of hair when they died, and so do I (well, not quite dead yet). So a healthy skepticism (pun intended) about their health reports seems warranted.

 

[catii]

I've had my genetic data on Promethease for five years, & I don't care if they or a new owner has it. I'm 73 today, & am very unlikely to buy more insurance, which is about the only thing that my DNA could affect. If data analysis can help with health issues, I'm all for it!

 

[target2019]

Promethease report is presenting the results of studies centered around specific genetic patterns tested. For many results there is an interaction of several SNPs and it takes careful reading of the study results that are referenced.

 

[Winemaker]

Several traits that 23andme predicted that I won't/don't have, have been disproved, leaving me very skeptical about their results/predictions health wise. Familiar relatives have been verified, however.