Retired FBI agent explains why he would never do a home DNA test

A former agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation has disclosed the one “thing” he would never do or recommend.

In a 12 December TikTok video, Steve Lazarus, a retired agent and US Air Force veteran, spoke candidly to his 138,000 followers. The post, which has now gained over 5.4 million views, was just one of many in his known series: “Things I would never do as a retired FBI agent.” Lazarus’ topic for the day was home DNA test kits.

He started by clarifying the test kits to which he was referring. “Home DNA test kits that promise to put you in contact with family members you never knew existed,” Lazarus remarked before proclaiming that this tool is “a hard no” for him.

“And if you wanted a reason, in one word, it’s privacy,” the intelligent individual continued. “I know these companies promise to protect your privacy and your data, but did you know that in 2019 a detective in Florida got a court order that allowed him to blanket search over a million records blindly in one of these databases looking for one of his subjects?”

Aside from the level of security, Lazarus pointed out how misuse factors into his disapproval of these third-party kits.

He went on to say: “While we’re on the subject of misuse, do you really think a health insurance company wouldn’t want a copy of your DNA when they’re redeciding whether to grant you coverage or allow you to get a treatment for an existing or a preexisting condition?”

Lastly, Lazarus noted the possibility of the company getting hacked, explaining how there’s always a possibility a different company could take over and have different moral views, which he noted could lead to a greater lack of privacy and more misuse of client data.

“Look, I understand some people might want this to find their birth parent or some other legitimate reason,” the former government worker admitted. However, these kits are not for him.

According to the website of one leading DNA tester, it promises to not “share your genetic data with employers, insurance companies, public databases or 3rd party marketers without your explicit consent”.

More than that, the company “exceed industry data protection standards and have achieved three different ISO certifications to demonstrate the strength of our security program”. The company also noted it encrypts all “sensitive information” and “will not release any individual-level personal information to law enforcement unless we are required to do so by court order, subpoena, search warrant or other requests that we determine are legally valid”.

In the comments section of Lazarus’ video, followers added other explanations for why they wouldn’t conduct a home DNA test kits.

One TikTok user wrote: “If anyone in your family has ever done it, they got you anyway.”

“Yup I knew this. Read the fine print for a good scare,” another viewer said.

A third remarked: “I’d be more worried about your overall digital footprint over DNA samples being hacked and misused.”

Among the people who shared the same apprehensions, one woman said she had a positive experience with one company.

“Without the DNA test kit, I would’ve never found seven of my siblings who are looking for me,” she wrote.

The Independent has contacted Lazarus for a comment.