Some things are better kept secret: your pin number, passwords and most definitely your DNA. After all, what’s more personal than your genetic code? It’s what makes you unique.
You might have heard about the American DNA testing company, 23andMe, that has made a USD $300million deal with a pharmaceutical company, giving it exclusive access to consenting customers’ anonymised genetic results. With myDNA, that type of deal is not going to happen.
We will never sell your information. Your DNA belongs to you. And here’s what we do to make sure it stays that way.
Privacy is our priority
We use internationally recognized security software and IT systems to make sure your genetic results will never knowingly be seen by anyone outside of myDNA without your permission. You’re the only person who can access your Wellness & Nutrition reports at www.mydna.life, and it’s your choice to share this information with health professionals – or anyone else. A myDNA Medication Report has to be ordered by a healthcare professional who will help you understand your results.
Authorised myDNA staff members can access your information with a secure password ONLY if we need to discuss your results with you.
We will never sell your DNA
We do not sell, trade or transfer your personal information. While we do use de-identified data for our own internal research, we don’t provide your data to other organisations or third parties. One of myDNA’s strengths is the ability to analyze your DNA in our own accredited lab and through our own IT infrastructure which avoids the risk of your data being shared or leaked.
We only keep what we need
When you create a myDNA account and register your DNA sample, we only collect the information that’s necessary to process your DNA sample and make sure your results remain confidential.
We use your personal information to test your DNA, answer your questions, or offer new services, such as the sugar, aging and vitamin DNA tests that we’ve got in development. Anytime we contact you, we’ll always give you the choice to opt-out.
Your DNA stays here (unless you ask us to delete it)
We test and analyze your DNA sample at our secure laboratory in Melbourne, Australia. We freeze your DNA sample so we can thaw it and re-test if you’d like a new report on something new.
We can run different DNA tests using the same sample, as we look for different genetic markers, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). They’re what lead to physical differences in people, such as appearance or response to food or medicine.
If you’d like your DNA sample destroyed and your personal data deleted from our systems, all you have to do is email help@mydna.life. We’ll email you back to confirm that it’s done.
We don’t share your results, but you might have to…
In some countries, such as Australia, life insurance companies can ask you to tell them about any genetic test results when you are applying for cover. However, myDNA focuses on lifestyle genetics and the majority of genes we analyze are unrelated to disease risk and shouldn’t have significant implications for life insurance.
In other countries, like Canada and the UK, insurance companies aren’t allowed to ask for your predictive genetic results. So, if you’re thinking of taking a test and want to get your life insurance in order first, it’s important to check your local regulations first.
With myDNA, you can have complete peace of mind that your personal information and data is securely stored and not going anywhere without your permission.
You can read about all about the ways we protect your privacy in our privacy policy.
