Hacking Humans: How Invasive is Digitizing DNA?
Summary
Overtime, DNA extraction and testing has evolved tremendously where people have found ways to utilize it to cure genetically based diseases, but with progress comes new methods for people to exploit others. The newest innovation in preserving DNA is through digitization which has so much potential for medical and scientific breakthroughs, but also increased chances of getting information stolen from hackers. Digitizing DNA has become the trendiest yet most dangerous method for hackers to access people’s personal identifying information (PII) because it cannot be replaced if it were to be stolen. While there are steps being taken to protect people’s DNA from being used this way, it has been raising many ethical concerns regarding if it is safe and necessary to collect DNA in the workplace. Although the technology is still young, researchers are cautioning people about who they trust their DNA with before someone swoops in and takes it for themselves.

My Takeaways
While I am always excited to hear about new technological advancements to improve the lives of others especially for people battling illnesses, I feel like digitizing DNA is too risky to be used regularly as treatment options. I feel like healthcare facilities suffer the most from malware and hacking attacks and millions of people’s PII gets stolen, but the difference is they can get new social security cards, health insurance plans, and make back their money. However, they cannot get brand new DNA to replace the stolen DNA if it is digitized in the hacked systems. If medical facilities were to rely on digitization for DNA, they would need to take extra precautions to protect it and only allow access to the people who absolutely need it.

References
Rizkallah, J. (2018, November 29). Hacking humans: Protecting our DNA from Cybercriminals. Forbes.com. https://drive.google.com/file/d/17vZTrd3tyRkIuXtLfYKSeZypU7WpCkmM/view