Ancestry.com
 

A non-believer in what? You don't believe you have ancestors? Ancestry.com is a site for doing research into you ancestors and providing tools for drawing a family tree.

Are you referring to their DNA service? You are saying you do not believe in DNA as a valid way to track your ancestry?

If so, yes, I believe that DNA is a valid tool. It is NOT perfect, but it is good and based on real science.

I did it years ago and the results were very much as I expected. They updated me a couple of times as their data base grew.

I remain a skeptic.
It comes across to me that there is some sort of a matching of DNA that comes close. And any that does is reported as some related descendence.
Versus actual familial lineage.

I look forward to learning something from this thread.

I wonder if the FBI or other agency could gain access to their data base to solve crimes?

I'm not freely giving my DNA to anyone.. lol

I have a friend who got a list of relatives. One of them was his first cousin who he grew up with. So, that make me more of a believer, or maybe less of a skeptic.

No DNA test for me either, I consider it an invasion of privacy, the same way Apple wants my finger prints, and face recognition. I’m continually amazed that people are not concerned with the kind of access they give to strangers.

Information is power, and power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

My wife found her half sister that had been given up for adoption shortly after birth. They met for the first time after almost 70 years. The half sister now has a whole family she never knew about! So we are believers. Now for the security aspect, there have been several stories about the sharing of DNA data, and I have many concerns about this, so i have chosen to not participate. While we have actually experienced the good/great side of the DNA testing, there are many other aspects are very troubling. For example, could insurance companies get your data and change or cancel your coverage based on test results, could your data be sold for targeted advertising for certain drugs, could you be held liable for incidentally giving out relatives info because you gave your DNA? This was done without their consent. lots of things to think about.....

Are you also related to Henry the 8th? Or the Queen of England? Or George Washington?

Or is one related to Charles Manson, the Boston strangler, etc? The test can cut in many ways. The criminals data base has been collected by the police for some time.

That is wonderful news about your wife. I guess one has to weigh the possible positives to the negatives.

Personally, I generally dislike collection of private information since Caesar introduced the census so that he could collect taxes from everyone. The more information you give about yourself the more power people have over you.

You are a non-believer you have ancestors? Nah. You are too smart. You are a non-believer that the data base is helpful in finding anything specific or interesting...…..right?

I had mine done. It said that over half of my ancestors were British. And I was the girl with the Dirndle.

I think it is kinda fun. Do it when it goes on sale.

Yup, absolutely. Things are changing and not necessarily for the better. I am not personally worried about DNA security for me. I. can certainly understand younger people being comic earned about even being denied employment. With employer provided healthcare (that I am totally against) the employers would get better rates is they don't hire people that have certain genetic markers...