From Emma Martins, Jersey, Channel Islands
Richard Kemeny discusses how big pharma might pay to access your genome (24 February, p 8). He is right that the era of the data economy is here. Organisations are desperate to collect, use and profit from our data. Kemeny is also right to highlight the chance for us to have some say in who profits. But we also need more detail on data protection.
The assertion that we can decide how much we should sell our DNA data for assumes a good understanding of the changing risks, both economic and personal, for any individual considering entering into such a potentially Faustian pact.
New data protection laws will sweep Europe this May. If they succeed in providing robust protections and remedies, it will be welcome. The trouble is, if our password is compromised we can change it, if our genome data is compromised… what then?
Advertisement
