Nov 19, 2007

Thanks to a Silicon Valley startup named 23andMe, there's a new way for you to get to know yourself and your friends: genetically.

While it's been in stealth mode for a while, 23andMe officially launched its Web-based service this week, offering customers in the U.S. a chance to purchase personal genetic profiles for $999 a pop. The idea is that you'll be able to learn about your ancestry, whether or not you have a proclivity for certain diseases (hypochondriacs beware) and how you relate to others who use the service.  

So how does it work? The quick version is that you submit a saliva sample to a lab contracted by 23andMe. The sample is then used to create a detailed profile that you can access via 23andMe's Web site. Once your data's available, you can also compare your DNA to that of your friends, family members and others in a social networking environment.  

AllThingsD.com's Kara Swisher interviewed the company's co-founders Linda Avey and Anne Wojcicki to get a firsthand account of just what they have in mind. In the second part of her interview, which you can find in the Media Vault, Swisher asks the duo about privacy and how they intend to safeguard customers' genetic info.

They acknowledge the importance of protecting data, though they point out that privacy is subjective. Some people, including 23andMe board member Esther Dyson are all too happy to share their DNA info with the world. Of course, plenty of other people will continue to ask questions about the privacy implications. One scary possibility raised by Swisher: what if insurance companies or government agencies try to get their hands on this data?

Since 23andMe is all about how people are related, Wojcicki is married to Google co-founder Sergey Brin and Google is one of the company's investors.  Plus, my own disclosure: I know and like Kara. I work with her on D, and she'll be speaking at Tech Policy Summit in March.

Tags: 23andMe, Esther Dyson, Privacy