Industry has hypercommodified every aspect of human existence, and personal data is no exception. But DNA data is in a league of its own: permanent, deeply personal, and ultimately monetized as an institutional asset.

The nonconsensual collection of genetic data was covered in a previous hashtag, but the voluntary “direct-to-consumer” DNA market, which introduces equally grave, hidden dangers, is exploding and projected to skyrocket to $2.5 billion by 2032.

The industry, led by 23andMe, AncestryDNA, and numerous smaller startups, promises fun ancestry reports and health insights. What it never advertises is that you are trading your private genome for entertainment, corporate profit, and significant risks you cannot control.

https://whowhatwhy.org/editors-picks/saturday-hashtag-genomicgameboy/