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<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Welcome to Tuesday Topics, a monthly series covering topics with intellectual freedom implications for libraries of all types. Each message
is prepared by a member of OLA's Intellectual Freedom Committee or a guest writer. Questions can be directed to the author of the topic or to the</span></i><a href="http://www.olaweb.org/contact-ifc"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">IFC committee</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p align="center" style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><img border="0" width="280" height="112" id="Picture_x0020_3" src="cid:image001.png@01D4912F.119561C0" alt="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GWO82Tps_CM6EswfBsFq7K0CHcQcfmkvPczqCc7sq16JfNGOHoQG7h_mvoJ5CvsOMyxwO_jRYV88w_Qm86uQ7TBAaf2c3wgUab7Y1BB0ohG-7rkDWHcVDWrVXjKZdxb9J2m9Q-eM"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><span style="font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">DNA Kits, Genealogy, and Privacy</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Home DNA test kits are a</span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dna-kits-on-sale-black-friday-cyber-monday-23-me-ancestry-2018-11"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">hot commodity</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> this holiday season. People are eager to learn more about their ancestry and
family heritage, as well as genetic health risks and traits.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">But there have been</span><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/10/11/656268742/easy-dna-identifications-with-genealogy-databases-raise-privacy-concerns%20October%2019"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">concerns</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> raised over the privacy of these kits. For one, law enforcement agencies have been
using genetic databases in combination with genealogical information to locate suspects. While this can lead to the</span><a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-dna-golden-state-killer-20180426-story.html"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">identification of criminals</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">, it has also led to</span><a href="https://www.wired.com/2015/10/familial-dna-evidence-turns-innocent-people-into-crime-suspects/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">mistaken arrests</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> and concerns over what else this information might be used for in the hands
of law enforcement agencies.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Another area of concern is health information. A</span><a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/10/10/science.aau4832"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">recent study</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> demonstrated that supposedly anonymous data from a public research project could
be identified through a genetic database. Others worry that, despite the</span><a href="http://www.ginahelp.org/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">, there is not enough being done to protect people
from medical discrimination based on genetics. [FYI, here are </span><a href="https://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/diseasesconditions/geneticconditions/pages/research.aspx"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Oregon’s laws
on the subject</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.]</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Of course,</span><a href="https://sites.lib.byu.edu/familyhistory/2016/12/12/privacy-concerns-and-genealogy-james-tanner-12-dec-2016/"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">issues of privacy are not new to genealogy</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">. But perhaps this is a good time of year for those
of us in libraries to reflect on how we address privacy concerns in genealogy at our libraries. As Lisa Hoover wrote on the</span><a href="https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=16148"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">ALA Intellectual Freedom Blog</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">, “Being aware of the potential privacy concerns will allow
us to make sure genealogical research continues to be fun and safe for patrons – and their family members.”</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">One thing to consider is whether your library includes discussions of privacy in genealogy programming and instruction. If not, think about
including issues such as reading and understanding privacy policies (and the fact that they can legally change at any time); avoiding using family data in passwords or security questions; reading all of the terms and conditions before taking a DNA test; avoiding
public disclosure of information about living people; and </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-delete-dna-genetic-data-2018-5"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">how to delete your DNA from genetics
companies</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Another item to contemplate is whether your library includes a note on your website suggesting patrons read the terms and conditions and privacy
policy of genealogy databases before using. Here is an</span><a href="https://www.nypl.org/collections/articles-databases/ancestry-library-edition"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;text-decoration:none">
</span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">example from New York Public Library</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">. Along the same lines, think about whether you point
out these things when working with a patron, before taking them to the resource.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">So the next time a patron approaches the desk and asks for information on DNA test kits, what will you tell them? And just what
<i>will</i> you say to that relative who asks you yet again this year to upload your information to their family tree? Perhaps it’s time for a discussion about
</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/science/science-genetic-genealogy-study.html"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">how their decisions can impact other relatives as well</span></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Tamara Ottum</span></i></b><i><o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p style="margin:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">IFC Member, and
</span><a href="https://libguides.osl.state.or.us/oifc"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1155CC">Oregon Intellectual Freedom Clearinghouse</span></a></i><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">
Coordinator</span><o:p></o:p></i></p>
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