Are personal genomes private? Google Ventures’ Bill Maris doesn’t think so

As the threat and fear of data breaches mounts in healthcare, providers seek ways to reduce the potential for outsiders to gain access to sensitive health information, from names and birthdays down to genomic DNA data. However, their efforts may be overspent on the latter, as genomic data may not be secret.

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By: Staff

At a Wall Street Journal technology conference, Bill Maris, managing partner of Google Ventures, said keeping genetic information secret isn’t and shouldn’t be of utmost concern, according to Bloomberg. “You’re genome isn’t really secret,” he said.

Mr. Maris said anyone who wanted to access anybody else’s genome would simply have to collect any piece of genomic material, be it a hair or even a cup with traces of someone’s saliva. Hacking a server to access genomic data is not necessary, he said.

Google Ventures has been involved in research and developments using genomic data to extend life. The company invested in 23andMe, a startup providing at-home genomic tests for consumers.

More articles on genomics:

Boston company partners with Genomics England to sequence 100k genomes
Partners receives $12.3M for genomic medicine research
NIH awards research grants for incorporating DNA info into EHR

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