The use of DNA in the digital world can provide many important benefits in medicine, research, and even criminal investigations. Even though there are some important benefits of digitizing DNA, there are also very permanent risks due to personal DNA not being able to be changed once compromised. While DNA testing can help make scientific progress for cures and determining causes of illnesses, there must be very strong protections put into place to prevent misuse.
Personal and Medical Benefits versus Lifelong Security Risks
With DNA going digital, it has created many opportunities for both individuals and the healthcare community. DNA testing can allow people to learn about family history, ancestry, and possible inherited health conditions. Researchers also benefit from the digitalization of DNA because they can study the patterns in genetics and be able to develop cures or treatments for certain illnesses. Even though these are big benefits, there are also very serious risks. For example, once a person’s genetic information is compromised, it remains vulnerable forever due to DNA not being able to be replaced or changed. A breach of DNA would not just affect one person; it could affect families who share the same DNA.
Genetic Discrimination
Another risk of DNA being stored digitally could be genetic discrimination in the workplace. If an employer asks for access to your DNA before hiring, there could be questions raised as to if that is ethical. For example, if an employee sees that in the applicant’s DNA there could be future health problems, they might not hire that person, which may increase healthcare costs for the company. This is creating a risk of genetic discrimination, where people are not being hired due to future illnesses that they cannot control.
“Human Factor”
In the article it discusses how hackers find it easier to get in using humans because people make mistakes. With normal digital security, a password can easily be changed or can easily be reported as fraud. With DNA, it is a lot more of a permanent threat due to genetic information not being able to be changed. This is why organizations and consumers need stronger education on cybersecurity and privacy to ensure that their information is safe.