Long-range familial searches in recreational DNA databases: expansion of affected populations, the participatory turn, and the co-production of biovalue

Abstract

Long-range familial searches in recreational DNA databases have been the subject of intense interest since the high-profile case of the Golden State Killer. This technique has raised considerable media attention and has sparked immediate criticism from forensic geneticists and other professionals, regulators, policy advisors, and ethicists. However, the literature on this topic does not capture the complexities resulting from the commodification of genetic data and the marketization of science.In this article, I explore how long-range familial searches conducted in recreational DNA databases reframe the trajectory of forensic genetics. Arguing that the advent and consolidation of long-range familial searches in recreational DNA databases represent the fourth wave of forensic genetics, I detail its implications, namely, the expansion of affected populations, the participatory turn, and the co-production of biovalue.

Citizen science at the roots and as the future of forensic genetic genealogy

“…Forensic genetic genealogy has also been referred to using as "investigative genetic genealogy" (Ge and Budowle, 2020;Guerrini et al, 2021;Machado and Silva, 2022;McEwen et al, 2021;Samuel, 2021;Samuel and Kennett, 2020b) and "(long-range) familial searches in recreational DNA databases" (Granja, 2021;Murphy, 2018). In this article, I use the term forensic genetic genealogy (Ram et al, 2021;Wickenheiser, 2019), defined by Dowdeswell as:…”

Ethics as Lived Practice. Anticipatory Capacity and Ethical Decision-Making in Forensic Genetics

“…In forensic genetics the stakes are higher, as persuading individuals to donate their DNA is challenging. Willingness to donate DNA for forensic purposes used to be considerably lower than for health purposes [43]; albeit more recently there has been an increase in voluntary offers of existing genetic profiles or donation of new genetic data to enable the forensic use of ancestry, health, and research databases [8]. Such donations place a particular responsibility upon researchers and analysts to be very clear about the potential uses of such data, not only at the time of sample collection but also afterwards, as data moves along different life stages.…”

“…In Sweden, prosecutors have allowed investigators to use consumer genealogy databases to solve cold cases: missing persons and a criminal case [85]. In Canada, two cold cases have been solved through forensic genealogy [8]. In the UK, a study has assessed the likely effectiveness of long-range familial searches through GEDmatch [86].…”

“…However, under the jurisdiction of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), users from current and recent European Union member states who have profiles on FamilyTreeDNA have been automatically opted out. This means that European Union citizens must opt-in if they wish to have their DNA profile included for criminal investigation purposes [8,54]. Adopting a different stance, companies such as AncestryDNA and 23andMe have categorically denied access for law enforcement agents to such data, unless subpoenaed by a court order to do so [89].…”

“…The Swiss Parliament is the latest to prepare legislation to allow for forensic DNA phenotyping amidst, both, supportive and critical debate [6]. Similarly, since 2018, forays into forensic genetic genealogy have been spreading since the successful detection of the perpetrator with the help of the technique in the 'Golden State Killer' case in the USA [7][8][9][10].…”