1.1 Introduction

We are all made up of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). We all have our own unique genetic code. When any one of us gives up a physical sample for the purpose of a genetic test, that code becomes decipherable. Through genetic testing, information that is contained in our bodies is encapsulated in digital form. This genetic data has the potential to be stored indefinitely and it can serve not only as a unique identifier for you, but also to identify family members. The shared nature of genetic data also means that data collected for one purpose can be used for a variety of secondary purposes, including criminal investigations and tracing family members.

Our DNA is part of each of us as individuals and we might assume that we own it in the same way that many of us might assume we own our bodies. Yet in many places the law does not actually provide for property rights in samples of DNA, once they are extracted from us or in our own bodies. While we might often feel that we in some sense own our bodies and their parts, this is not the case for the most part at present. For example, in the United States of America, tissue samples such as skin and saliva that we leave behind us are often treated as abandoned and can be used by law enforcement in criminal investigations. This has been exemplified by the recent involvement of the geneology database GEDmatch in the investigation of the Golden State Killer case, which will be discussed in Chapter 4.