Ask HN: Where can I genetically test myself without risking privacy?

[technocrat8080]

I've been meaning to screen myself for genetic diseases and do not trust services like 23andMe. What options do I have?

[gethly]

I think that as long as you can provide physical address where you are able to receive mail under pseudonym, you can use nay service. The main point with these DNS testing services is to prevent them form linking your DNA with your identity. You could maybe even use your company's address or a friend or a family member. It should not matter much. Or try renting a Post Office Box. Or even using one of the mail forwarding services as they are usually able to forward your mail based on id on the recipient without then name of the recipient mattering at all.

[csomar]

I am not sure you understand the privacy implications. I did 23&Me and you do post your DNA only with an email address. These services can detect your relatives (siblings/parents/near-cousins) to close to 100% certainty. Which means they'll be able to deduce who you are from an anon. DNA.

[vishakh82]

We're building this at Monadic DNA.

I recently posted about our first stab at this at https://vishakh.blog/2025/07/08/using-mpc-for-anonymous-and-....

We'll have a waitlist up pretty soon for people to sign up for a batch of private sequencing.

[ampham]

Maybe Color Health? They’re clinical and HIPAA compliant but you’ll need to read their policies for the details.

https://www.color.com/genomics

[pajko]

MyHeritage has a long and detailed privacy policy. Seems like that they are aiming to meet EU standards. Don't have personal experience though, and they might not provide everything what you are looking for.

[nokya]

Why not start with your threat model? What are you actually worried about, then let us look into the options.

[technocrat8080]

I only care about testing for genetic health issues. I don't want my DNA to be inserted in a database that can be cross-referenced to check for relatives, ancestry, etc.

[a_tartaruga]

It's a bad idea for a bunch of reasons but you could always do it yourself: https://nanoporetech.com/products/sequence/minion

[greazy]

Suggesting ONT is like suggesting getting a cpu without mentioning everything else that's required.

Even then, you'll need expertise in analysing the output reads. And EVEN then it's difficult to accurately assess variants.

[leoh]

Why is a bad idea for a bunch of reasons?

[aynyc]

no, not in the sense of total privacy. Outside of that, I would at least go with someone that's HIPAA compliance. Your doctor probably is the shortest path.

[Davidbrcz]

Your doctor ?

[clemailacct1]

The privacy issue still exists in this scenario.

All doctors (including concierge) use 3rd party services for practically everything from blood work to imaging to application products. It’s safe to say that it’s very likely that they’ll outsource the genetic testing to a 3rd party

[2rsf]

That's the best advice. I have seen some genetic test results. They are not simple to interpret and it is not easy to know what to test for- every person has natural defects and mutations which not always translates to real diseases.