GDPR casualties on the DNA front

From FamilyTreeDNA (www.familytreedna.com):

Dear Valued Ysearch & Mitosearch Members,

On May 24th, 2018, our free, public genetic-genealogy databases, ysearch.org and mitosearch.org, will no longer be accessible as a result of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) going into effect on May 25th.

As the founders of the direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy industry, we did not make this decision lightly. We believe it is necessary given the resources it would take to make both sites GDPR compliant. The current environment regarding DNA privacy as well as recent events in the news, particularly DNA databases being utilized to solve cold cases, were also considerations, but the rigorous requirements of GDPR would have prompted this action irrespective of current events.

User privacy policies across all of the major consumer genetic-genealogy service providers have become a topic of national conversation, and it is our goal to ensure that our privacy policies continue to meet or exceed industry norms.

We encourage you to continue your journey of discovery with us on FamilyTreeDNA, and we thank you for your participation in “citizen science” over the years.

Sincerely,
FamilyTreeDNA

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Changes to data protection laws in the UK

From May 25th 2018 the provisions of the Data Protection Act of 1998 will be replaced in the UK by the EU General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR (https://www.eugdpr.org).

If you are a data handler working in the genealogy sector, whether a family history society, a records vendor, or a family historian, you may wish to have a glance at the new provisions, as it extends rights of individuals in many ways, including a right to be forgotten. The Information Commissioner's Office has a dedicated Guide to the General Data Protection Regulation available at https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/.

Various archives and libraries have already updated their data protection policies - that for the National Records of Scotland, for instance, is at https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//record-keeping/legislation/nrs-data-protection-policy.pdf.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Storing data in DNA for a million years

Over the last few years you will have heard people discuss how our DNA stores the data of our ancestry, whether Y-DNA information from our paternal ancestors (used for surname lines), mitochondrial DNA to preserve a time line through our maternal ancestors, or autosomal DNA which preserves DNA information from each of our parents and several lines going back on all fronts.

Here's an interesting thing though - how about embedding a copy of our family tree into DNA and using it as a hard drive for the next million years? In fact, how about embedding all data ever collated into DNA? Science fiction? Not in the slightest, apparently...

Scientists have successfully experimented with preserving data in DNA in Zurich. For the full story visit www.sciencealert.com/a-dna-hard-drive-has-been-built-that-can-store-data-for-1-million-years, with the press release available at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/02/150212154633.htm

Personally, I still like having a CD collection and a bundle of thumb drives...! :)

(With thanks to Helen Smith via Facebook)

Chris

For details on my range of genealogy guide books please visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. To commission me for genealogical research, please visit my research site at www.scotlandsgreateststory.co.uk.

Unhappy bunnies in Dublin over civil registration indexes fiasco

It seems that there are a few unhappy bunnies in Dublin just now over the recent fiasco concerning the online provision of up to date indexes for civil registration records of births, marriages and deaths - the records that sort of appeared and disappeared at the same time very recently. The Minister for Heritage, Heather Humphreys, is quoted in the Irish Times as apparently having had a go at the Data Protection Commissioner for comments made to the press in the aftermath of the decision to have the records removed from the Irish Genealogy site (www.irishgenealogy.ie). For all the juicy gossip, see www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/humphreys-riled-by-comments-on-data-security-1.1994305.

Crucially, the commissioner has now agreed to limit the available data to records for births more than 100 years old, marriages more than 75 years old and deaths more than 50 years old, replicating the provision to that of the online Geni website for Northern Ireland (http://geni.nidirect.gov.uk), although it also provides images of the registers within those closure periods. Amendments to the necessary legislation are currently going through the Irish parliament.

(With thanks to Joe Buggy @townlandorigin)

Chris

Stuck for a Christmas gift?! I have a series of genealogy books available in the UK, Australia and Canada, on Scottish, Irish and British based subject areas. Further details at http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html. Santa approves!

An individual's name is personal data

Just read about an interesting case from the UK Court of Appeal last month concerning whether or not a person's name alone can be classified as personal data under the Data Protection Act, or whether further biographical information is needed for it to be so classified.

The Court has ruled that a person's name does constitute personal data under the Act, unless it is so common that further detail is needed to identify an individual - and further that personal data is information that relates to a living individual who can be identified, regardless of whether they can be traced or contacted.

The case is explored at http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=0ddaaf24-2b0a-43f4-888a-9a69c7c51429 , http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/12/common_names_may_not_constitute_personal_data_says_court_of_appeal/ and http://www.mablaw.com/2014/03/edem-ico-fsa-personal-data/.

(I picked this up on Twitter earlier and favourited the page - apologies to whoever the original tweeter was, I can't now find your name!)

Chris

Time to find your inner Irish...! All the best online Irish genealogy resources can be found through my book Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet - in print and ebook formats. "Very useful, makes me wish I was Irish!" - Saint Patrick, patron saint.

More on proposed European data protection changes

Some more on the data protection issues which were recently flagged up in an article by the Irish Times, under proposed new EU legislation (see http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/eu-threats-to-genealogy.html).

Although the article flagged up that there were concerns, there was no link to explain the proposed changes. A huge thanks to Sheena Tait for pointing me towards the ICO website at the following link, which outlines the proposed changes, alongside the Information Commissioner's comments:
www.ico.org.uk/news/~/media/documents/library/Data_Protection/Research_and_reports/ico_proposed_dp_regulation_analysis_paper_20130212_pdf.ashx

A relevant clause for genealogists seems to be number 83, entitled "Processing for historical, statistical and scientific research purposes".

(With thanks to Sheena Tait)

Chris

My new book, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet, is now available from Pen and Sword. My Scottish land and church records ebooks are available at http://www.gen-ebooks.com/unlock-the-past.html, whilst my next Pharos Scottish course, Scottish Research Online, starts Sep 4th - see http://pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Time to smash a few brick walls...!