[ NNSquad ] Internet resources allow identification of personal genomes via surname inference

[Lauren Weinstein <lauren@vortex.com>]

Internet resources allow identification of personal genomes via
surname inference

http://j.mp/10DqhqW  (Science) [Free read with registration]

   "Sharing sequencing data sets without identifiers has become a common
    practice in genomics. Here, we report that surnames can be recovered
    from personal genomes by profiling short tandem repeats on the Y
    chromosome (Y-STRs) and querying recreational genetic genealogy
    databases. We show that a combination of a surname with other types of
    metadata, such as age and state, can be used to triangulate the
    identity of the target. A key feature of this technique is that it
    entirely relies on free, publicly accessible Internet resources. We
    quantitatively analyze the probability of identification for U.S.
    males. We further demonstrate the feasibility of this technique by
    tracing back with high probability the identities of multiple
    participants in public sequencing projects."

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--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren 
Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info
Founder:
 - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org 
 - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info
 - Data Wisdom Explorers League: http://www.dwel.org
 - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org
Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
Google+: http://vortex.com/g+lauren / Twitter: http://vortex.com/t-lauren 
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com
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