View source for GEDmatch

{{Short description|Genetic genealogy website}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox website
| name = GEDmatch
| logo = [[File:GEDmatch logo 12pct.png]]
| logo_alt = GEDmatch Logo
| screenshot = [[File:GEDmatch-screenshot.png]]
| screenshot_alt = GEDmatch.com Screenshot
| url = {{URL|gedmatch.com}}
| registration = Required
| language = English
| num_users = 1.45 million DNA profiles (in Fall 2020)
<!-- front page of website says 1.4 million members on 06 Feb 2024 -->
| owner = [[Qiagen]]
| founder = [[Curtis Rogers]] and John Olson
}}
'''GEDmatch''' is an online service to compare [[autosomal DNA]] data files from different testing companies.  It is owned by [[Qiagen]].
The website gained significant media coverage in April 2018 after it was used by [[law enforcement]] to identify a suspect in the [[Golden State Killer]] case in California. Other law-enforcement agencies started using GEDmatch for violent crimes, making it "the de facto DNA and genealogy database for all of law enforcement", according to ''[[The Atlantic]]''{{'}}s Sarah Zhang.<ref>{{cite web |last=Zhang |first=Sarah |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/05/the-coming-wave-of-murders-solved-by-genealogy/560750/ |title=The Coming Wave of Murders Solved by Genealogy |work=[[The Atlantic]] |date=May 19, 2018 |access-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=May 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180522030406/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/05/the-coming-wave-of-murders-solved-by-genealogy/560750/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
In May 2019, GEDmatch tightened its rules on [[privacy]] by requiring users to "opt in" to sharing their data with law enforcement. In December 2019, GEDmatch was acquired by Verogen, Inc., a sequencing company dedicated to forensic science.<ref>{{Cite press release |url=https://verogen.com/gedmatch-partners-with-genomics-firm/ |title=GEDmatch Partners with Genomics Firm |publisher=Verogen |language=en-US |access-date=2019-12-12 |archive-date=December 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220065042/https://verogen.com/gedmatch-partners-with-genomics-firm/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A new version of the existing site known as GEDmatch Pro, which went live in December 2020, focuses on solving crimes using the more than 1.2&nbsp;million DNA profiles hosted on GEDMatch's platform.  In 2023, GEDmatch was acquired by Qiagen.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/qiagen-acquires-dna-biometrics-firm-verogen-150-mln-deal-2023-01-09/ | title=Qiagen acquires DNA-biometrics firm Verogen in $150 MLN deal | newspaper=Reuters | date=9 January 2023 }}</ref>
==History==
GEDmatch was founded in 2010 by [[Curtis Rogers]], a retired businessman, and John Olson, a transportation engineer,<ref name="Murphy 2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/science/gedmatch-genealogy-cold-cases.html|title=How an Unlikely Family History Website Transformed Cold Case Investigations|last=Murphy|first=Heather|date=2018-10-15|work=The New York Times|access-date=2018-12-04|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=December 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205060752/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/15/science/gedmatch-genealogy-cold-cases.html|url-status=live}}</ref> in [[Lake Worth Beach, Florida|Lake Worth, Florida]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/florida-open-source-dna-company-helped-break-golden-state-killer-case|title=Florida open source DNA company helped break 'Golden State Killer' case|last=Paluska|first=Michael|date=April 27, 2018|work=ABC Action News|access-date=May 23, 2018|publisher=[[WFTS-TV]]|archive-date=May 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523172856/https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/florida-open-source-dna-company-helped-break-golden-state-killer-case|url-status=live}}</ref> with its main purpose being to help "amateur and professional researchers and genealogists", including adoptees searching for birth parents.<ref>{{cite web |last=Emerson |first=Sarah |url=https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/43b9e3/public-dna-database-cracked-the-golden-state-killer-case-police-say |title=Public DNA Database Cracked the Golden State Killer Case, Police Say |date=April 27, 2018 |work=[[Motherboard (website)|Motherboard]] |access-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523173317/https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/43b9e3/public-dna-database-cracked-the-golden-state-killer-case-police-say |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ars Technica">{{cite web |last=Farivar |first=Cyrus |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/04/gedmatch-a-tiny-dna-analysis-firm-was-key-for-golden-state-killer-case/ |title=GEDmatch, a tiny DNA analysis firm, was key for Golden State Killer case |work=Ars Technica |date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=May 22, 2018 |archive-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523172533/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/04/gedmatch-a-tiny-dna-analysis-firm-was-key-for-golden-state-killer-case/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
GEDmatch users may upload their [[autosomal DNA test]] data<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2012/08/12/gedmatch-a-dna-geeks-dream-site/|title=Gedmatch: a DNA geek's dream site|last=Russell|first=Judy G.|date=August 12, 2012|work=The Legal Genealogist|access-date=July 2, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=April 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418235034/http://www.legalgenealogist.com/2012/08/12/gedmatch-a-dna-geeks-dream-site/|url-status=live}}</ref> from commercial DNA companies to identify potential relatives who had also uploaded their DNA data.<ref>{{cite news |last=Creet |first=Julia |url=https://theconversation.com/how-cops-used-a-public-genealogy-database-in-the-golden-state-killer-case-95842 |title=How cops used a public genealogy database in the Golden State Killer case |work=[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]] |date=April 30, 2018 |access-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=May 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524003732/https://theconversation.com/how-cops-used-a-public-genealogy-database-in-the-golden-state-killer-case-95842 |url-status=live }}</ref> Names of participants may be hidden by the use of aliases, but each account must have an email address attached to it.<ref name="Russell 2018">{{Cite news |url=https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2017/03/26/updated-look-at-gedmatch/ |title=Updated look at Gedmatch |last=Russell |first=Judy G. |date=March 26, 2017 |work=The Legal Genealogist |access-date=July 2, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526043230/https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2017/03/26/updated-look-at-gedmatch/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Users may share the ancestry of each DNA participant by uploading a [[GEDCOM]] file containing that person's ancestry, or by linking to the assigned DNA kit number from that person's profile at [[WikiTree]], a free, shared global family tree. Tools available on the GEDmatch site include the ability to sort results by the closest matches to a user's autosomal DNA, determining whether one's matches also match to each other, using a genetic-distance calculator, estimating the number of generations to the most recent common ancestor, determining whether one's parents are related, and using various ethnicity calculators.<ref name="Russell 2018" /> These tools do not disclose raw genetic data to other users.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Sills |first1=Jennifer |last2=Greytak |first2=Ellen M. |last3=Kaye |first3=David H. |last4=Budowle |first4=Bruce |last5=Moore |first5=CeCe |last6=Armentrout |first6=Steven L. |title=Privacy and genetic genealogy data |journal=Science |date=30 August 2018 |volume=361 |issue=6405 |page=857 |doi=10.1126/science.aav0330|pmid=30166479 |bibcode=2018Sci...361Q.857G |s2cid=52134679 }}</ref>
Tier 1 premium membership includes triangulation,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://findmyfamilymagazine.com/dna-triangulation-on-gedmatch/ |title=DNA Triangulation on GEDmatch |last=D. |first=D. |date=August 16, 2016 |work=Find My Family Magazine |access-date=July 2, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-date=July 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180715070704/http://findmyfamilymagazine.com/dna-triangulation-on-gedmatch/ |url-status=live }}</ref> matching segment search and a custom comparison system.<ref name="Russell 2018" /> By May 2018, the GEDmatch database had 929,000 [[DNA profiling|genetic profiles]], with 7,300 users who paid $10 a month for Tier&nbsp;1 premium membership,<ref>{{cite news |last=Brown |first=Kristen V. |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-29/killer-app-dna-site-had-unwitting-role-in-golden-state-manhunt |title=DNA Website Had Unwitting Role in Golden State Manhunt |date=May 29, 2018 |publisher=Bloomberg |access-date=May 31, 2018 |archive-date=June 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180601173732/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-05-29/killer-app-dna-site-had-unwitting-role-in-golden-state-manhunt |url-status=live }}</ref> which was used to pay for the $200,000/year server costs.<ref name="Zhang 2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/gedmatch-police-genealogy-database/561695/|title=How a Tiny Website Became the Police's Go-To Genealogy Database|last=Zhang|first=Sarah|date=2018-06-01|work=The Atlantic|access-date=2018-10-26|language=en-US|archive-date=October 27, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181027021634/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/06/gedmatch-police-genealogy-database/561695/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, the website was still being run by Rogers and Olsen with five volunteers;<ref name="Milian 2018">{{Cite web|url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20181129/cold-case-murders-rapes-cracked-by-lake-worth-genealogy-website|title=Cold-case murders, rapes cracked by Lake Worth genealogy website|last=Milian|first=Jorge|date=2018-11-30|website=The Palm Beach Post|language=en|access-date=2018-12-04|archive-date=December 5, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205062245/https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/20181129/cold-case-murders-rapes-cracked-by-lake-worth-genealogy-website|url-status=live}}</ref> it had no full-time staff.<ref name="Zhang 2018" /> Rogers said in 2018 that the site had already helped 10,000 adoptees find their biological parents.<ref name="Milian 2018" />
Access for law enforcement to the user data was given without informed consent; negative user reactions led to the implementation of an opt-in system for law-enforcement matching. For new uploads, "opt in" is the default selection actively recommended for users,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/05/15/withdrawing-a-recommendation/|title=Withdrawing a recommendation|last=Russell|first=Judy G.|date=2019-05-15|website=The Legal Genealogist|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-12|archive-date=December 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210135439/https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/05/15/withdrawing-a-recommendation/|url-status=live}}</ref> shedding doubt on whether this could be truly "opt-in", which requires action in order to signal one's interest in what is being offered or proposed. Moreover, what is being opted into is not explicitly stated.
In September 2019, the U.S Department of Justice released interim guidelines governing when federal investigators or federally funded investigations<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/10/genetic-genealogy-dna-database-criminal-investigations/599005/|title=The Messy Consequences of the Golden State Killer Case|last=Zhang|first=Sarah|date=2019-10-01|website=The Atlantic|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-16|archive-date=November 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118204135/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/10/genetic-genealogy-dna-database-criminal-investigations/599005/|url-status=live}}</ref> could use genetic genealogy to track down suspects in serious crimes. This first-ever policy covering how these databases should be used in law-enforcement attempts to balance public safety and privacy concerns. The policy said that “forensic genetic genealogy” should generally be used only for violent crimes such as murder and rape, as well as to identify human remains. (The policy permitted broader use if the ancestry database's policy allowed such searches.) Investigators should first exhaust traditional crime-solving methods, including searching their own criminal DNA databases.
Under the new policy, investigators could not quietly upload a fake profile to a genealogy website, as some had done in hopes of finding a suspect's distant relatives, without first identifying themselves. The site itself must have informed its users that law-enforcement agencies may search their data.
The policy also barred federal investigators from using a suspect's DNA profile to look for genes related to disease risks or psychological traits. Another provision attempted to limit situations in which federal investigators secretly take a DNA sample from a suspect's relative—from a discarded cup or tissue, for example—to help hone in on a suspect. The policy said that the person must give their informed consent unless federal investigators have obtained a search warrant.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/new-federal-rules-limit-police-searches-family-tree-dna-databases|title=New federal rules limit police searches of family tree DNA databases|date=September 25, 2019|website=Science &#124; AAAS|access-date=October 22, 2019|archive-date=October 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191021035728/https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/09/new-federal-rules-limit-police-searches-family-tree-dna-databases|url-status=live}}</ref> These guidelines applied to federal investigators and federally funded investigations but did not apply to state or local law-enforcement agencies{{snd}} the vast majority of investigations.<ref name=":0" />
In November 2019, a Florida judge approved a police request for a warrant to search the database of GEDmatch.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/business/dna-database-search-warrant.html|title=Your DNA Profile is Private? A Florida Judge Just Said Otherwise|last1=Hill|first1=Kashmir|date=2019-11-05|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-11-16|last2=Murphy|first2=Heather|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116150126/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/business/dna-database-search-warrant.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
As of December 9, 2019, GEDmatch was acquired by Verogen, Inc., a sequencing company solely dedicated to forensic science. For the 1.2&nbsp;million DNA profiles, a new version of the existing site will focus on solving crimes. How much GEDmatch continues to serve genetic genealogical research has been heavily discussed since then.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/12/10/gedmatch-acquired-by-forensic-firm/|title=GEDmatch acquired by forensic firm|last=Russell|first=Judy G.|date=2019-12-10|website=The Legal Genealogist|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-12|archive-date=December 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212200558/https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/12/10/gedmatch-acquired-by-forensic-firm/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[BuzzFeed News]] reported that Verogen hopes to monetize the site by charging for access to the database and tools for DNA analysis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2226791-dna-site-gedmatch-sold-to-firm-helping-us-police-solve-crime/|title=DNA site GEDmatch sold to firm helping US police solve crime|last=Vaughan|first=Adam|website=New Scientist|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-12|archive-date=December 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211175248/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2226791-dna-site-gedmatch-sold-to-firm-helping-us-police-solve-crime/|url-status=live}}</ref> Founder Curtis Rogers, in a website statement, announced that "basic tools will remain free", he will remain involved in all aspects of the business, and Verogen will commit to the vision of a consumer genealogy site and take care of infrastructure and security/privacy. At the same time, Rogers claimed that "genealogy has made our communities safer by putting violent criminals behind bars".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gedmatch.com/curt_msg.htm|title=To our valued users|last=Rogers|first=Curtis|website=www.gedmatch.com|access-date=2019-12-12|archive-date=December 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191212174310/https://www.gedmatch.com/curt_msg.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
As of September 2020, there were about 1.45&nbsp;million users on the site, and by October, the site had led to an estimated 150 arrests in cold cases.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://henrycountygov.com///mule-creek-state-prison/|title=Mule Creek State Prison}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Usage by law enforcement==
In December 2018, police forces in the United States said that, with the help of GEDmatch and genetic genealogy, they had been able to find suspects in a total of 28 cold cases of murder and rape that year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/us/dna-genetic-genealogy-made-2018-the-year-old-the-cold-case-biggest-crime-fighting-breakthrough-in-decades|title=DNA, genetic genealogy made 2018 the year of the cold case: 'Biggest crime-fighting breakthrough in decades'|last=Gearty|first=Robert|date=2018-12-18|website=Fox News|language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-21|archive-date=December 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219154418/https://www.foxnews.com/us/dna-genetic-genealogy-made-2018-the-year-old-the-cold-case-biggest-crime-fighting-breakthrough-in-decades|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Greytak|first1=Ellen M.|last2=Moore|first2=CeCe|last3=Armentrout|first3=Steven L.|date=2019-06-01|title=Genetic genealogy for cold case and active investigations|journal=Forensic Science International|language=en|volume=299|pages=103–113|doi=10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.03.039|pmid=30991209|s2cid=109110359}}</ref> Also in December 2018, [[Family Tree DNA]] allowed law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to upload DNA profiles from crime scenes to help solve cold crimes. As of that time, GEDmatch was not the only site that could be used by law enforcement officials to solve crimes using genetic genealogy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/612875/a-consumer-dna-testing-company-has-given-the-fbi-access-to-its-two-million/|title=A consumer DNA testing company has given the FBI access to its two million profiles|last=Regalado|first=Antonio|date=2019-02-01|website=MIT Technology Review|language=en|access-date=2019-02-11|archive-date=February 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213193354/https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/612875/a-consumer-dna-testing-company-has-given-the-fbi-access-to-its-two-million/|url-status=live}}</ref>
White people are overrepresented on GEDmatch and are believed to be underrepresented in [[Combined DNA Index System|CODIS]], the FBI's collection of DNA samples pulled from crime scenes, arrestees, and criminal suspects. Thus, GEDmatch may be especially effective in facilitating the arrests of white suspects who might otherwise have eluded law enforcement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/how-sharing-your-dna-solves-horrible-crimes-and-stirs-a-privacy-debate/|title=Sharing your DNA may help with cold cases|last=Hautala|first=Laura|date=2019-07-02|website=CNET|language=en|access-date=2019-07-31|archive-date=August 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810232414/https://www.cnet.com/news/how-sharing-your-dna-solves-horrible-crimes-and-stirs-a-privacy-debate/|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 18, 2019, GEDmatch revised its privacy statement to users regarding the collection and use of genetic information, including the circumstances in which it may cooperate with law-enforcement use of its database. As of September 2020, GEDmatch has been credited for helping facilitate nearly 120 cold-case arrests and for helping in 11 "Jane and John Doe" identifications across the United States.<ref>[https://www.kcra.com/article/dna-cold-case-arrests-golden-state-killer-norcal-rapist/27245135] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190426164251/https://www.kcra.com/article/dna-cold-case-arrests-golden-state-killer-norcal-rapist/27245135|date=April 26, 2019}}, KCRA</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/could-ground-breaking-dna-technique-solve-bizarre-sherri-papini-kidnap-case/news-story/4257932be5da719c35a4962f338617eb|title = DNA twist in kidnapped jogger case|newspaper = News.com.au |date = December 12, 2019|last1 = O'Neill|first1 = Marnie|access-date = December 12, 2019|archive-date = December 12, 2019|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191212163847/https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/could-ground-breaking-dna-technique-solve-bizarre-sherri-papini-kidnap-case/news-story/4257932be5da719c35a4962f338617eb|url-status = live}}</ref>
=== General cases solved or suspects identified using GEDmatch ===
* California law enforcement investigating the [[Golden State Killer]] case uploaded the [[DNA profile]] of the suspected serial rapist/killer from an intact [[rape kit]] in Ventura County<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/data/2018/04/how_a_nj_pathologist_may_have_helped_solve_the_gol.html|title=How an N.J. pathologist may have helped solve the 'Golden State Killer' case|website=NJ.com – NJ Advance Media|date=April 26, 2018|access-date=May 22, 2018|archive-date=May 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504014817/http://www.nj.com/data/2018/04/how_a_nj_pathologist_may_have_helped_solve_the_gol.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYTCatch">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/golden-state-killer-case-joseph-deangelo.html|title=To Catch a Killer: A Fake Profile on a DNA Site and a Pristine Sample|first1=Tim|last1=Arango|first2=Adam|last2=Goldman|first3=Thomas|last3=Fuller|newspaper=The New York Times|date=27 April 2018|access-date=May 22, 2018|archive-date=April 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429024141/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/27/us/golden-state-killer-case-joseph-deangelo.html|url-status=live}}</ref> to GEDmatch.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article209987599.html|title='Open-source' genealogy site provided missing DNA link to East Area Rapist, investigator says|via=Sacramento Bee|access-date=July 30, 2019|archive-date=April 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402020405/https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article209987599.html|url-status=live}}</ref> It identified 10 to 20 distant relatives of the Golden State Killer, and a team of five investigators working with genealogist [[Barbara Rae-Venter]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/science/barbara-rae-venter-gsk.html|title=She Helped Crack the Golden State Killer Case. Here's What She's Going to Do Next.|first=Heather|last=Murphy|newspaper=The New York Times|date=29 August 2018|access-date=September 18, 2018|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904045704/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/science/barbara-rae-venter-gsk.html|url-status=live}}</ref> used those results to construct a large family tree, which led them to identify former police officer Joseph James DeAngelo as a suspect.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/to-find-alleged-golden-state-killer-investigators-first-found-his-great-great-great-grandparents/2018/04/30/3c865fe7-dfcc-4a0e-b6b2-0bec548d501f_story.html|title=To find alleged Golden State Killer, investigators first found his great-great-great-grandparents|last=Jouvenal|first=Justin|date=2018-04-30|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 22, 2018|archive-date=May 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501161029/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/to-find-alleged-golden-state-killer-investigators-first-found-his-great-great-great-grandparents/2018/04/30/3c865fe7-dfcc-4a0e-b6b2-0bec548d501f_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Investigators acquired samples of his DNA from items he discarded outside his home, one of which definitively matched that of the killer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/us/golden-state-killer-dna-report/index.html|title=Police used free genealogy database to track Golden State Killer suspect, investigator says|author=Keith Allen, Jason Hanna and Cheri Mossburg|website=CNN|date=April 26, 2018|access-date=May 22, 2018|archive-date=May 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515091157/https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/us/golden-state-killer-dna-report/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/28/us/golden-state-killer-joseph-deangelo.html|title=The Golden State Killer Left a Trail of Horror With Taunts and Guile|first1=Dan|last1=Barry|first2=Tim|last2=Arango|first3=Richard A. Jr.|last3=Oppel|newspaper=The New York Times|date=28 April 2018|access-date=May 22, 2018|archive-date=November 28, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128070942/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/28/us/golden-state-killer-joseph-deangelo.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The process took about four months, from the time the first matches appeared on GEDmatch to the time when DeAngelo was arrested in April 2018.<ref name="NYTCatch" />
* In September 2018, [[Roy Charles Waller]] was arrested as a suspect in a series of more than ten rapes between 1991 and 2006 in Northern California (the "Norcal Rapist"), after DNA evidence from crime scenes were matched on GEDmatch to a relative.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article218793610.html|title=NorCal Rapist suspect arrested. He's a 58-year-old safety specialist at UC Berkeley|via=Sacramento Bee|access-date=September 21, 2018|archive-date=December 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231160503/https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article218793610.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Police then constructed a family tree and, using the known characteristics of the rapist, narrowed the suspects down to Waller. It took little more than a week to identify and arrest the suspect.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/norcal-rapist-arrested-suspect-roy-waller-dna-match-2018-9|title=Suspected serial 'NorCal rapist' arrested in California thanks to a DNA match on a genealogy website{{snd}}just like the Golden State Killer|author=Ashley Collman|website=Business Insider|access-date=July 30, 2019|archive-date=January 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190103055807/https://www.businessinsider.com/norcal-rapist-arrested-suspect-roy-waller-dna-match-2018-9|url-status=live}}</ref> He was charged with 40 counts of rape.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article223886185.html|title=NorCal Rapist suspect faces 28 new charges in Sacramento court|via=Sacramento Bee|access-date=January 8, 2019|archive-date=February 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190202234624/https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article223886185.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*In May 2019, a [[grand jury]] in [[Orange County, North Carolina]], indicted [[John Russell Whitt]] on [[Murder|first-degree murder]] charges related to the death of his son, [[Murders of Bobby Whitt and Myoung Hwa Cho|Robert "Bobby" Adam Whitt]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article230338529.html|title=Father charged with cold-case murder of boy found under billboard|last1=Bridges|first1=Virginia|date=May 13, 2019|work=The News & Observer|access-date=2019-05-13|last2=Grubb|first2=Tammy|language=en|archive-date=October 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011013317/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article230338529.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bobby Whitt's skeleton was discovered under a billboard on [[Interstate 85 in North Carolina|Interstate 85-40]] in September 1998; an autopsy showed that he had died by [[Strangling|strangulation]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article225508170.html|title=A dogged investigator made sure the 'Boy under the Billboard' was not forgotten|last=Grubb|first=Tammy|date=February 5, 2019|work=The News & Observer|language=en|access-date=2019-05-13|archive-date=December 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228000142/https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article225508170.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Although the case remained open, and hundreds of investigators worked on it over the years{{snd}}including forensic artist [[Frank Bender]]{{snd}}the remains were unidentified until [[Barbara Rae-Venter]] analyzed a DNA sample that suggested the boy had one white parent and one Asian parent. Using online genealogical services, she located a cousin in [[Hawaii (island)|Hawai'i]], who was able to provide the boy's name. The family had not reported him missing because they believed his mother, [[Murders of Bobby Whitt and Myoung Hwa Cho|Myoung Hwa Cho]], had taken him back to South Korea, where she was from.<ref name=":3" /> Further investigation revealed that Cho's body had been located in [[Spartanburg County, South Carolina]], on May 13, 1998. She had been suffocated and had ligature marks around her wrists.<ref name=":3" /> John Whitt has confessed to both murders; he is currently serving a federal prison sentence at the [[Federal Correctional Institution, Ashland|Ashland FCI]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/|title=Inmate Locator–Register Number: 19945-057|website=www.bop.gov|access-date=2019-05-13|archive-date=January 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140129150019/https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/|url-status=live}}</ref> for [[Robbery|armed robbery]] and will not be eligible for release on that charge until 2037.<ref name=":3" />
*In 2020, in [[Toronto]], [[Canada]], police used GEDmatch to identify the murderer of [[Christine Jessop]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-genetic-genealogy-generates-heated-debate-over-privacy-while-helping/|title=Genetic genealogy generates heated debate over privacy while helping to crack cold cases|first1=Colin|last1=Freeze|first2=Patrick|last2=White|newspaper=The Globe and Mail |date=October 23, 2020|via=www.theglobeandmail.com|access-date=October 24, 2020|archive-date=October 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025175659/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-genetic-genealogy-generates-heated-debate-over-privacy-while-helping/|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Parabon Nanolabs ===
In cooperation with American law enforcement organizations, [[Parabon NanoLabs]] started uploading [[DNA evidence]] from crime scenes to GEDmatch in an attempt to identify perpetrators. In November 2018, Parabon was reported to be working on 200 such cases.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-to-solve-cold-cases-all-it-takes-is-dna-a-genealogy-site-and-high-speed-internet-1.6657176|title=To Solve Cold Cases, All It Takes Is Crime Scene DNA, a Genealogy Site and High-speed Internet|last=Michaeli|first=Yarden|date=2018-11-16|work=Haaretz|access-date=2018-12-04|language=en|archive-date=December 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181206021208/https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-to-solve-cold-cases-all-it-takes-is-dna-a-genealogy-site-and-high-speed-internet-1.6657176|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/peteraldhous/parabon-genetic-genealogy-cold-cases |title=DNA Data From 100 Crime Scenes Has Been Uploaded To A Genealogy Website – Just Like The Golden State Killer |last=Aldhous |first=Peter |date=May 17, 2018 |work=[[BuzzFeed News]] |access-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523100209/https://www.buzzfeed.com/peteraldhous/parabon-genetic-genealogy-cold-cases |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2019, they said they were solving cold cases at the rate of about one per week.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2019/04/06/greenville-cold-case-solved-forensics-genealogy/3362145002/|title=How family tree forensics solved cold cases in Greenville, across the US|last=Gross|first=Daniel J.|date=2019-05-08|website=The Greenville News|language=en|access-date=2019-05-13|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106040650/https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/local/south-carolina/2019/04/06/greenville-cold-case-solved-forensics-genealogy/3362145002/|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== DNA Doe Project ===
{{update|reason=new identifications have happened since july|date=January 2020}}
Two genealogical researchers, Dr. [[Colleen M. Fitzpatrick]] and Margaret Press, started the [[DNA Doe Project#Ongoing cases|DNA Doe Project]] in 2017 to identify unknown bodies using GEDmatch. They use volunteers to construct the sometimes very large family trees resulting from genetic data, in order to identify missing persons. Their successes include the following:
* Identification of the "[[Murder of Marcia King|Buckskin girl]]", a young woman found murdered beside a road in [[Miami County, Ohio]], in 1981, as Marcia King. She was identified by autosomal DNA through GEDmatch and genetic genealogy in March 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2018/04/buck-skin-girl-case-break-success-new-dna-doe-project |title='Buck Skin Girl' Case Break Is Success of New DNA Doe Project |last=Augenstein |first=Seth |date=April 16, 2018 |work=Forensic Magazine |access-date=July 2, 2018 |language=en |archive-date=September 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911222959/https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2018/04/buck-skin-girl-case-break-success-new-dna-doe-project |url-status=live }}</ref>
* They also investigated a man called [[Joseph Newton Chandler III]], found to have stolen the identity of an eight-year-old in 1978 and committed suicide in 2002 in [[Eastlake, Ohio]], obtained a sample of his DNA and uploaded it to GEDmatch. By the genetic results, researchers identified him as Robert Ivan Nichols. This finding was revealed in late June 2018.<ref>{{cite news |last=Swenson |first=Kyle |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/22/he-stole-the-identity-of-a-dead-8-year-old-police-now-want-to-know-what-he-was-hiding-from/ |title=He stole the identity of a dead 8-year-old. Police want to know what he was hiding from. |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=June 22, 2018 |access-date=June 25, 2018 |archive-date=July 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190717041645/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/06/22/he-stole-the-identity-of-a-dead-8-year-old-police-now-want-to-know-what-he-was-hiding-from/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* They helped identify "[[Murder of Mary Silvani|Sheep Flats Jane Doe]]", a homicide victim from July 1982, who was identified as 33-year-old Mary Silvani in the summer of 2018. She had been raped and murdered near [[Lake Tahoe|Lake Tahoe, Nevada]].<ref name="Augenstein 2019">{{Cite web|url=https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2019/01/dna-doe-project-names-3-more-notes-case-patterns|title=DNA Doe Project Names 3 More, Notes Case Patterns|last=Augenstein|first=Seth|date=2019-01-10|website=Forensic Magazine|language=en|access-date=2019-01-11|archive-date=January 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190110231946/https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2019/01/dna-doe-project-names-3-more-notes-case-patterns|url-status=live}}</ref> Washoe County Sheriff's Office withheld her name until May 2019, when they had also confirmed the identity of her killer, [[James Richard Curry]]. He had died in jail in January 1983, after confessing to two other murders and being arrested in a third. He was also identified through genetic genealogy, with the aid of the DNA Doe Project and GEDmatch.
* In December 2018, they identified a man using the alias "[[Alfred Jake Fuller]]" when he was found dead in 2014 in a [[Kennebec County, Maine]], hotel apartment.<ref name="Augenstein 2019" /> He had died of natural causes.
* In December 2018, they identified "[[Anaheim Jane Doe]]", who had been found murdered in 1987 in [[Anaheim, California|Anaheim]], [[Orange County, California|Orange County]], California. The police announced the victim's identify as 20-year-old Tracey Coreen Hobson.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/national/genealogy-forensics-help-california-police-murder-victim-after-years/VqsU2OFqtGX2uBeRggGXxN/|title=Genealogy, forensics help California police ID murder victim after 31 years|last=Bonvillian|first=Crystal|date=2019-01-18|website=My Dayton Daily News, Cox Media Group|language=en|access-date=2019-01-29|archive-date=January 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129181920/https://www.mydaytondailynews.com/news/national/genealogy-forensics-help-california-police-murder-victim-after-years/VqsU2OFqtGX2uBeRggGXxN/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Augenstein 2019" />
* In January 2019, they identified "[[Murder of Dana Dodd|Lavender Doe]]", a young woman whose burned body had been found near a road in [[Gregg County, Texas]], in 2006. East Texas officials announced that she was 21-year-old Dana Lynn Dodd.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kltv.com/2019/02/11/east-texas-officials-release-identify-lavender-doe/|title=East Texas officials release identity of Lavender Doe|date=2019-02-11|website=KLTV Texas|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-12|archive-date=February 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212070623/http://www.kltv.com/2019/02/11/east-texas-officials-release-identify-lavender-doe/|url-status=live}}</ref> Joseph Burnette had confessed to her murder in 2018 but had not known her identity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kltv.com/2019/01/31/dna-reveals-identity-victim-lavender-doe/|title=DNA reveals identity of victim 'Lavender Doe'|last=Hallmark|first=Bob|date=2019-01-30|website=KLTV|language=en-US|access-date=2019-02-02|archive-date=November 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129140311/https://www.kltv.com/2019/01/31/dna-reveals-identity-victim-lavender-doe/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In February 2019, a man called "[[Rock County John Doe]]" was identified using GEDmatch. His body had been found in 1995 (it was estimated he had died in 1994) in Rock County, near [[Clinton (town), Rock County, Wisconsin|Clinton, Wisconsin]]. The police medical examiner concluded that he had died from hypothermia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/20190228/body_found_in_1995_tentativelyidentified_|title=Body found in 1995 tentatively identified|last=Austin|first=Montgomery|date=2019-02-28|website=Beloit Daily News|language=en|access-date=2019-03-09|archive-date=March 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043754/https://www.beloitdailynews.com/news/20190228/body_found_in_1995_tentativelyidentified_|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In March 2019, the DNA Doe Project identified "Butler County Jane Doe" as 61-year-old Darlene Wilson Norcross. Norcross' body had been found in a wooded area near [[West Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio|West Chester, Ohio]], on March 7, 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/butler-county/west-chester/woman-found-dead-in-2015-identified-as-west-chester-twp-resident|title=How West Chester 'Jane Doe' could help other missing persons|last=Hanford-Ostman|first=Emily|date=2019-03-07|website=WCPO, Cincinnati|language=en|access-date=2019-03-09|archive-date=March 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190309073324/https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/butler-county/west-chester/woman-found-dead-in-2015-identified-as-west-chester-twp-resident|url-status=live}}</ref> She had never been reported as missing, and the police were unable to determine her cause of death.
* In March 2019, the project identified "Annie Doe" as 16-year-old Annie Marie Lehman who was found on August 19, 1971, in [[Cave Junction, Oregon]], near the border with California. Some debris was noted to partially conceal the remains. The project was through collaboration with [[NCMEC]] and [[NamUs]].
* In June 2019, "Vicky" Doe (one of serial killer [[Shawn Grate|Shawn Grate's]] first victims), murdered between 2002 and 2006 was identified as 23-year-old Dana Nicole Lowrey.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kbef.com/2019/06/04/breaking-minden-woman-victim-of-serial-killer/|title=Minden woman victim of serial killer|last=Franklin|first=Bruce|date=2019-06-04|website=KBEF {{!}} KASO|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-30}}</ref>
* In July 2019, "Belle in the Well", the remains of a woman found strangled in a well in [[Chesapeake, Ohio]], in 1981, was identified as Louise Virginia Peterson Flesher. Flesher was about 65 years old at the time of her murder and was born in West Virginia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/belle-well-dna/594976/|title=She Was Found Strangled in a Well, and Now She Has a Name|last=Zhang|first=Sarah|date=2019-07-29|website=The Atlantic|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-30|archive-date=July 30, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730022133/https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/07/belle-well-dna/594976/|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s Genetic Genealogy Program ===
In 2018, the [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] set up a Genetic Genealogy Program to use GEDmatch to solve cold cases. They reported in 2019 that they had solved four cases.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.claytodayonline.com/stories/cold-cases-solved-by-fdles-new-genealogy-department,19774?|title=Cold cases solved by FDLE's new genealogy department|date=2019-10-16|website=Clay Today|language=en|access-date=2019-11-16|archive-date=November 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130233912/https://www.claytodayonline.com/stories/cold-cases-solved-by-fdles-new-genealogy-department,19774|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/local-law-enforcement-agencies-use-fdles-genetic-genealogy-program-to-solve-cold-cases/1000855154|title=Local law enforcement agencies use FDLE's genetic genealogy program to solve cold cases|last=Pace|first=Elizabeth|date=2019-10-24|website=WJAX CBS47 FOX30|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-16|archive-date=November 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116210139/https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/local-law-enforcement-agencies-use-fdles-genetic-genealogy-program-to-solve-cold-cases/1000855154|url-status=live}}</ref>  By the end of 2020, the program had led to 10 arrests/identifications and closed several more cases.
==Data policy==
In April 2018, GEDmatch's privacy statement said that it "exists to provide DNA and genealogy tools for comparison and research purposes". The statement said that this, "by its very nature, requires the sharing of information. Because of that, users participating in this site should expect that their information will be shared with other users".<ref name="Ars Technica" />
After the arrest of the suspect in the Golden State Killer Case, co-founder [[Curtis Rogers]] said he spent weeks trying to figure out the ethics of the situation and legal options to pursue. He concluded that they did not have the resources to require police to obtain court orders to use the website.<ref name="Whyte 2018">{{Cite journal |last=Whyte |first=Chelsea |date=August 11, 2018 |title=Family-tree forensics |journal=New Scientist |volume=239 |issue=3190 |pages=20–21 |doi=10.1016/s0262-4079(18)31430-1 |s2cid=125371463 |issn=0262-4079}}</ref> Rogers said: "It has always been GEDmatch's policy to inform users that the database could be used for other uses, as set forth in the Site Policy", and that "While the database was created for genealogical research, it is important that GEDmatch participants understand the possible uses of their DNA, including identification of relatives that have committed crimes or were victims of crimes."<ref name="Mercury News">{{cite news |last=Gafni |first=Matthias |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/04/26/ancestry-23andme-deny-assisting-law-enforcement-in-east-area-rapist-case/ |title=Here's the 'open-source' genealogy DNA website that helped crack the Golden State Killer case |work=The Mercury News |date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=May 22, 2018 |archive-date=April 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429001132/https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/04/26/ancestry-23andme-deny-assisting-law-enforcement-in-east-area-rapist-case/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In late May 2018, GEDmatch updated its policy to say law enforcement could use the database to identify perpetrators of a "violent crime", meaning "homicide or sexual assault", or to identify the remains of a deceased individual.<ref>{{cite web |last=Skwarecki |first=Beth |url=https://vitals.lifehacker.com/public-dna-databases-are-now-crawling-with-law-enforcem-1826196280 |title=Public DNA Databases Are Now Crawling With Law Enforcement and We Better Get Used to It |work=[[Lifehacker]] |publisher=Gawker Media |date=May 21, 2018 |access-date=May 25, 2018 |archive-date=May 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526185910/https://vitals.lifehacker.com/public-dna-databases-are-now-crawling-with-law-enforcem-1826196280 |url-status=live }}</ref> The number of people uploading their DNA increased from 1,500 per day to 5,000 per day after the DeAngelo case went public.  By November 2018, there were 1.2&nbsp;million GEDmatch website users.<ref name="Milian 2018" />
In May 2019, GEDmatch was used to help with the arrest of a teenager who was charged with violent assault. This was the first and so far the last time GEDmatch had been used by Law Enforcement (and Parabon) for a case that did not involve homicide, rape, or kidnapping.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/genetic-genealogy-parabon-gedmatch-assault|title=A Teen Allegedly Assaulted An Elderly Woman. Cops Pursued Him Like The Golden State Killer.|last=Aldhous|first=Peter|date=May 15, 2019|website=BuzzFeed News|language=en|access-date=May 18, 2019|archive-date=May 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517201134/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/genetic-genealogy-parabon-gedmatch-assault|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[Civil libertarian]]s have said the use of websites such as GEDmatch by law enforcement raises legal and privacy concerns.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Balsamo |first1=Michael |url=https://phys.org/news/2018-04-genealogy-site-didnt-serial-killer.html |title=Genealogy site didn't know it was used to seek serial killer |work=Phys.org |agency=Associated Press |date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=May 22, 2018 |archive-date=May 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180523095916/https://phys.org/news/2018-04-genealogy-site-didnt-serial-killer.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-12/a-researcher-needed-three-hours-to-identify-me-from-my-dna|title=A Researcher Needed Three Hours to Identify Me From My DNA|last=Brown|first=Kirsten|date=April 12, 2019|website=Bloomberg Business Week|access-date=April 15, 2019|archive-date=April 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413143357/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-04-12/a-researcher-needed-three-hours-to-identify-me-from-my-dna|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Guerrini|first1=Christi J.|last2=Robinson|first2=Jill O.|last3=Petersen|first3=Devan|last4=McGuire|first4=Amy L.|date=October 2, 2018 |title=Should police have access to genetic genealogy databases? Capturing the Golden State Killer and other criminals using a controversial new forensic technique|journal=PLOS Biology |language=en |volume=16 |issue=10 |pages=e2006906 |doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.2006906|issn=1545-7885|pmc=6168121|pmid=30278047 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Professor Rori Rohlfs at [[San Francisco State University]] noted that, whereas California police had to get a judge's permission to search the [[Combined DNA Index System|CODIS]] police criminal database for a murder suspect's brother, they had no limitations when uploading a murder suspect's autosomal DNA to GEDmatch to identify relatives.<ref name="Murphy 2018" /> In 2019, [[Charles E. Sydnor III]], a [[Maryland]] delegate, sought a bill to prohibit law enforcement from using DNA databases for crime solving,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Bill-Seeks-to-Prohibit-Using-DNA-Databases-to-Solve-Crime-506147871.html|title=MD Bill Seeks to Prohibit Using DNA Databases to Solve Crime|last=Jones|first=Natalie|website=NBC4 Washington|date=February 21, 2019 |language=en|access-date=March 9, 2019|archive-date=February 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190223131908/https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Bill-Seeks-to-Prohibit-Using-DNA-Databases-to-Solve-Crime-506147871.html|url-status=live}}</ref> but the bill was not passed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2019/03/genetic-genealogy-law-enforcement-golden-state-killer-cece-moore/|title=Police are increasingly taking advantage of home DNA tests. There are not any regulations to stop it.|last=Pauly|first=Madison|date=March 23, 2019|website=Mother Jones|language=en-US|access-date=March 14, 2019|archive-date=March 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331184407/https://www.motherjones.com/crime-justice/2019/03/genetic-genealogy-law-enforcement-golden-state-killer-cece-moore/|url-status=live}}</ref> A state representative in Utah introduced a similar bill that would ban genetic genealogy searches by police.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pew.org/2wnVyoz|title=DNA Databases Are Boon to Police But Menace to Privacy, Critics Say|website=pew.org|date=February 20, 2020 |access-date=October 20, 2021|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106040730/https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/02/20/dna-databases-are-boon-to-police-but-menace-to-privacy-critics-say|url-status=live}}</ref>
=== Opt-in policy ===
In May 2019, GEDmatch began requiring people who had uploaded their DNA to its site to [[opt in]] to allow law-enforcement agencies to access their information. This change in privacy policy was expected to limit law enforcement agencies' abilities to identify suspects using genetic genealogy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/this-genealogy-database-helped-solve-dozens-of-crimes-but|title=This Genealogy Database Helped Solve Dozens Of Crimes. But Its New Privacy Rules Will Restrict Access By Cops.|last=Aldhous|first=Peter|date=May 19, 2019|website=BuzzFeed News|language=en|access-date=May 20, 2019|archive-date=May 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519224637/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/this-genealogy-database-helped-solve-dozens-of-crimes-but|url-status=live}}</ref> By May 2020, about 260,000 GEDmatch users had opted in.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-were-cracking-cold-cases-dna-website-then-fine-print-n1070901|title=Police were cracking cold cases with a DNA website. Then the fine print changed.|website=NBC News|access-date=October 24, 2019|archive-date=October 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191024191044/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/police-were-cracking-cold-cases-dna-website-then-fine-print-n1070901|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.journalinquirer.com/crime_and_courts/dna-genealogy-led-to-arrest-in-series-of-rapes/article_27b25296-ab2d-11ea-8b3e-472861ca42e0.html|title=DNA, genealogy led to arrest in series of rapes|first=Alex|last=Woodawood@journalinquirer.com|website=Journal Inquirer|date=June 10, 2020 |access-date=June 12, 2020|archive-date=June 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612211640/https://www.journalinquirer.com/crime_and_courts/dna-genealogy-led-to-arrest-in-series-of-rapes/article_27b25296-ab2d-11ea-8b3e-472861ca42e0.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Despite GEDmatch's opt-in policy, in fall 2019, it was served with a [[search warrant|warrant]] by law enforcement in Florida, demanding access to ''all'' of its DNA profiles, including those of the vast majority of users who had not opted in to allow law-enforcement access (at that time, approximately 185,000 of 1.3&nbsp;million users had opted in).<ref name="Hill Murphy 2019">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/business/dna-database-search-warrant.html|work=[[New York Times]]|title=Your DNA Profile is Private? A Florida Judge Just Said Otherwise|author1=Kashmir Hill|author2=Heather Murphy|date=November 5, 2019|access-date=November 16, 2019|archive-date=November 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116150126/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/business/dna-database-search-warrant.html|url-status=live}}</ref> GEDmatch complied with this warrant.<ref name="Hill Murphy 2019"/><ref name="thednageek">{{cite web|url=https://thednageek.com/the-gedmatch-warrant/|website=The DNA Geek|date=November 18, 2019|title=The GEDmatch Warrant|access-date=January 3, 2020|archive-date=January 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200103011242/https://thednageek.com/the-gedmatch-warrant/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==See also==
*[[Combined DNA Index System]]
*[[Family Tree DNA]]
*[[GEDCOM]]
*[[Investigative genetic genealogy]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* {{cite web|title=Police were cracking cold cases with a DNA website. Then the fine print changed.|author=Jon Schuppe|date=24 Oct 2019|website=NBC News|language=en|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/police-were-cracking-cold-cases-with-a-dna-website-then-the-fine-print-changed/ar-AAJgcVZ?ocid=spartanntp}}
* {{cite web|title=The Questionable Ethics of Expanding Forensic DNA Testing|language=en|author=Benjamin Berkman|date=21 Mar 2019|website=Pacific Standard|url=https://psmag.com/social-justice/the-ethical-questions-about-expanded-dna-testing}}
* {{cite web|title=The Ethics of DNA Testing|language=en|author=Judy G. Russell|date=18 Nov 2012|website=The Legal Genealogist|url=https://www.legalgenealogist.com/2012/11/18/the-ethics-of-dna-testing/}}
* {{cite web|title=Ethical Issues in Genetic Testing – ACOG|website=The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists|language=en|date=Jun 2008|url=https://www.acog.org/Clinical-Guidance-and-Publications/Committee-Opinions/Committee-on-Ethics/Ethical-Issues-in-Genetic-Testing}}
==External links==
* GEDmatch {{Official website}}
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