Exploring Recreational DNA Tests: Risks, Reliability, and Societal Implications

Discover the world of recreational DNA tests - their risks, reliability, and societal impact. Learn about the legality, reliability, and ethical considerations surrounding these tests in this comprehensive exploration.

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The DNA Journey, or How to Create Buzz with DNA

A video has gone viral on YouTube and Facebook, amassing over 120 million views. Called "The DNA Journey," it features several individuals of different colors, ages, and nationalities. All are convinced they know their origins to be "100% English" or "100% Indian."

They are offered the opportunity to undergo a DNA test to verify this. Each person is profoundly affected by the result, discovering completely unsuspected origins; one young woman even finds a cousin in the audience.

While this video serves a promotional purpose as it was created for the "Let’s Open Our World" campaign by the online travel agency Momondo, its slogan resonates with one of today's societal trends: DNA research, through its message "Would you dare to question who you really are?".

In France, unlike in other countries, the use of DNA is not permitted except for paternity tests, which are accepted only by court decision, for medical purposes, or for scientific research. However, one can easily order such tests from foreign websites. Moreover, the Data Protection Act of 1978, as well as the General Data Protection Regulation, which applies everywhere in Europe as of May 2018, prohibit the collection and online posting of any ethnic and medical data, which is what companies offering DNA tests do. It's no secret that these websites are engaged in real commerce, with prices ranging from 80 to 1000 euros on average, depending on the expected precision of the research. Taking a recreational DNA test in France risks a fine of €3750.

How does a recreational DNA test work?

A single saliva test can provide information about the individual's origins, as well as valuable information about their children, parents, and siblings.

There are three types of tests:

• - Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test: It can be performed on both men and women and focuses on our maternal genetic heritage, tracing back to our oldest female ancestor.
• - Y-chromosome test: This is passed down exclusively from father to son. Therefore, it's a test exclusively for men, allowing tracing of the paternal lineage.
• - Autosomal test: This tests the DNA inherited from both parents to their child. Autosomal DNA is transmitted by both the mother and the father. This test will highlight mutations attributed to a population on the 22 pairs of non-sex chromosomes. From these mutations, it will indicate genetic origins and allow measurement of the degree of relatedness between two people.

For ethnic research, the autosomal test is used. This research can be quite precise. However, the reliability of these tests is quite relative. Indeed, they are based on a principle: the fact that certain portions of our DNA can be linked to specific geographic areas.

For example, haplogroup 2-234 is very common in Ethiopia but much weaker in the Caucasus. While this marker is just an indication, combining several markers can provide a much more precise genealogical picture.

Each geographic area has a reference population database, which allows, by comparing them with the tests performed and the chromosome segments obtained, the determination of a percentage of concordance. While these tests are quite reliable for broad groups like African Americans, it is almost impossible to assert membership in an African or Indonesian ethnic group. Additionally, there are many peoples that science has not yet studied. Moreover, population mixing in Europe over many years and today worldwide allows only relative reliability.

Recreational DNA tests raise many questions

The storage of saliva samples used for these tests, or even the results obtained, raises many questions. Indeed, there is no certainty that they will not be used for research projects or possibly sold to laboratories other than genetics. Moreover, the very principle of these genetic databases relies on the notion of sharing, in order to connect with people who have a similar genetic profile and continue research jointly. Genetic discretion is therefore no longer assured, even though one can undergo a test without the aim of meeting distant cousins.

Moreover, these tests are heavily criticized, notably by the French Society of Human Genetics, due to "abuses associated with undue interpretations of the results of these tests, and the dangers that can result."

For example, the Home Office's Border Agency in Canada has created a pilot project aimed at preventing fraud among asylum seekers by determining their nationality through DNA testing. In the same country, the use of this data is debated; indeed, there is no legislation against genetic discrimination. Thus, a person undergoing a genetic test may be forced to disclose the results, and individuals have lost their jobs or have been denied insurance due to the results of certain DNA tests, which can reveal predispositions to certain diseases such as Alzheimer's.

In any case, it should not be forgotten that genetic genealogy does not compete with traditional genealogy; rather, it appears as a tool and complements it where civil records are lacking.