7NEWS Spotlight Investigates: DNA Disasters reveals hidden risks of home DNA tests on Channel 7 – Should consumers be giving more thought to the consequences of home DNA tests? And are they fully aware of the risks, not only to themselves but to their extended family?
That is the question at the heart of 7NEWS Spotlight Investigates: DNA Disasters, airing this Sunday, 18 October at 9pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
The investigation follows last week’s 7NEWS Spotlight Presents: 70 Years of Seven special. This time, the Sunday night program returns to investigative territory with a consumer story that affects millions.
Watch the 7NEWS Spotlight preview
Relative danger: the hidden risks of DNA testing
Almost 50 million people have taken an at-home DNA test. The results are often uploaded to public databases, creating a treasure trove of genetic information.
In this 7NEWS Spotlight investigation, Ashlee Mullany uncovers extraordinary stories resulting from home DNA tests.
Swapped at birth and a murder arrest
There is the Melbourne woman who discovered she had been swapped at birth. There is also an author researching her family tree, whose innocently uploaded DNA led police to arrest a relative for murder.
In one horrifying case, a therapist learned that her high school boyfriend was in fact her brother.
The power of consumer DNA testing
Mullany explores the extraordinary power of consumer DNA testing. It has helped police unmask criminals who for decades believed they had escaped justice. It has also helped scientists identify dozens of deceased Australians whose remains have long lain unclaimed.
However, Mullany says the technology raises serious questions for anyone thinking about taking a test.
While DNA can solve life’s biggest mysteries, are consumers really aware of how their data is being used? Once uploaded, it can’t be taken back, raising serious questions about privacy, consent and just who has access to our most personal information.
Ashlee Mullany, 7NEWS Spotlight
7NEWS Spotlight Investigates: DNA Disasters airs this Sunday at 9pm on Channel 7 and 7plus.
For more TV Central Channel 7 news, head here. For more investigations, visit 7NEWS Spotlight.
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