The Illusion of Identity: At-Home Ancestry Testing, Forensics, and the Accuracy Problem

Abstract

Race, as a social construct, plays a significantly large role in the scientific field of genetics. This review analyzes several studies to reach a more comprehensive understanding of race’s historical influence in genetics, the modern implications of this relationship, and the validity of race as a scientific category in genetics. While the scientific validity of race has largely been disproved, it continues to be used by scientists and geneticists, specifically in genetic disease research. Aside from the obstacles stemming from race’s lack of legitimacy in science, its social implications are also a liability for scientific advancements because of how race has historically marginalized people groups. Moreover, the monetization of recent discoveries in genetics, including at-home ancestry test kits and molecular photofitting in forensics, are a cause for concern due to their lack of scientific accuracy. The process of racial categorization of test subjects is not as accurate as companies advertise, and this lack of transparency can lead to false conclusions about personal identity based on misinformation of at-home ancestry test results which rely upon a limited data set. In addition, this possibility of error in the DNA testing process can lead to the criminalization of innocent suspects. Therefore, awareness about both the primary motives of these companies, as well as the social implications of interpreting genetic test results, is critical to understanding the broader effects of race in genetics in society.