Well, at least the editor put ‘hacking’ in quotes as this really has nothing to do with hacking and more to do with developing algorithms that may enable re-identification or identification of individuals from genetic databases when the information is combined with other publicly available databases or information.
Sarah Knapton reports on the implications of Yaniv Erlich’s research:
The genetic information of hundreds of thousands of Britons could be revealed through ‘hacking’ into the DNA of their relatives who sign up for genome projects, it has been warned.
Scientists have shown that it is possible to work out the identities of anonymous people who participate in genetic research studies by cross-referencing their data with publicly available information.
And they have found that the genetic data of their relatives can also be inferred, even if they have never signed up for a study.
Read more on The Telegraph.