Kathryn Lund

This brought my attention because I actually gave my friend a similar product as a gift last year! She loved it. I didn’t think about the police and officials using this information to investigate suspects in a crime!

This brought my attention because I actually gave my friend a similar product as a gift last year! She loved it.

I didn’t think about the police and officials using this information to investigate suspects in a crime! I think that is smart of the officials for sure to use that, but I also feel weird about it because it is in a way accessing private information. It is tricky because the information is posted online. It would be ironic but mostly devastating though if this led to false convictions. It would be crazy if that did start happening. This is definitely an interesting topic and I think many would have differing opinions on this topic as it draws a weird fine line. I’m glad the Innocence Project is helping many people get out of crimes they did not commit!

Definitely think that we could see situations in the future where DNA matching leads to some false convictions. Does that outweigh the benefits of sharing DNA benefits? That’s where there is a ton of room for debate.

Clear standards for using DNA evidence would have to be adopted throughout the legal system in order for this to be applied fairly. Otherwise else, widespread use of DNA data taken from sites like 23andme could end up causing more harm to those already disadvantaged by present legal biases than good it causes in society at large.

This is a fascinating ethical debate. I’m in favor of police using DNA genetic testing databases to crack cold cases that would otherwise never see justice, but I agree with Daniel that the legal system needs to catch up and set boundaries. It’s also one of the rare (only?) scenarios in criminal justice where white Americans of European descent are more likely to be implicated than other races, so that’s a refreshing change.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/dna-ancestry-searches-can-now-identify-most-white-americans-heres-why-thats-legally-questionable

I really feel like the positives that have came from the FBI and police using online DNA databanks seems to outweigh the negative. I am really on board with it, and think it’s incredible to think families who haven’t had justice for decades are finally getting it. A case was solved in Lancaster, PA a few years ago before the Golden State killer. This guy was free for the past 25 years after killing a school teacher and many people in my community knew of him. It was a big deal. One of my good friends was in the victims elementary class 25 years ago when it happened. You make a great point for any objection to it is well, pointing out all the innocent people who can finally have justice. When the guy in Lancster was caught the DNA provide far beyond any doubt who did it.

For me the fear is not of accidental being wrongly convicted from the information on a 23andme service. It is being purposefully convicted. All the data on the servicers are just 1s and 0s. We have seen time and time again how easy it is to get into a company’s data set. What if someone wanted to through off the police and changed my DNA information in the system to match that of a crime. So, the police think they caught the killer. Or, what if a government wanted to make a clam about a crime that never eve happened, but they have DNA (and your altered 23andme DNA file) to prove it. Obviously, a simple DNA check somewhere in the proceedings would prove me innocent, but by that point the damage to my reputation would be beyond repair.

Wow Kathryn – very interesting read! It never dawned on myself that these DNA-testing ancestry/health kits can help tie people to crimes that were previously committed. But now that I’m thinking about it, it should’ve been obvious. You’re willingly sending DNA to a lab to be observed…
You brought two interesting perspectives in your post – one that these kits have already helped complete some cold cases and another that these kits can (possibly!) wrongfully pinpoint someone for a crime. In my opinion, I feel the pro outweighs the con. DNA is hard to mistake, and many of the cases in the Innocence Project were cases that didn’t apply DNA at the time. I agree with Daniel and Julia that there must be some regulation in using 23andme to exonerate those wrongfully committed/solve cold cases. But I think the likelihood of these DNA testing products making a wrong match is still on a low percentage. I would assume they use the same protocols the police department uses for their forensic labs.

As someone who has used Ancestory DNA testing before for my own personal use, this is something I have never thought of before. I had knowledge that the police used DNA as resource to catch criminals and I see no problem with using DNA testing databases. Though it does beg the question on how accurate these results may be. I remember when I first received by results I was very shocked because it seemed inaccurate to what I knew about myself and family but since then they have sent me an updated result that seems more true. Even though science is evolving, it does make me worry if the results could lead to false convictions.

Great article Kathryn! I do think that the technology and marketing worlds have evolved – and see some companies who have a marketing (dept) and Tech (IT dept) that merges because, well frankly, they do need each other when it comes to collaborating in the workplace.

I mentioned this is class – I do think because of the shift in marketing (traditional vs. digital), marketers would benefit from taking IT courses, and vice versa, IT specialist could take a course, or two in digital marketing. Making this the standard for the two would help with better collaborations in the workplace from both departments!

Thank you for sharing Kathryn. I have to admit, the thumbnail definitely drew me in! The statistic “technology is now the single biggest area of investment for marketing” really connected with me as that is the main reason I chose this program versus other traditional marketing programs. Marketing needs to be where the consumers are, and they are in fact all turning to the digital space.
As far as the tension between the marketing team and technology team I believe it partly has to do with neither wanting to let go of their ego or superiority. Being fresh out of undergrad, I do not have first hand experience of the evolution in an organization but I am glad to hear yours is evolving!

I am not sure if this is the case in the private sector, but for me the difficulty is in getting timely technical solutions. The Government contracting process is great and building road, parking lots, buildings, and tanks. However, it is a slow and unwieldy process. By the time a solution gets through the process, the technology used is out of date. We still use it, but we automatically need something new and better.