Genetic sharing site openSNP to shut down, citing concerns of data privacy and ‘rise in authoritarian governments’

OpenSNP, a large open source repository for user-uploaded genetic data, will close all its data at the end of April, co-founder Bastian Greshk Tejovers confirmed.

In Post a blogOPENSNP’s Greak Tejovers Data blamed the decision to shutter the site because of privacy concerns After the financial collapse of 23 OME And the growth of authoritarian governments around the world.

Founded with Philip Bayer and Helz Raus, Greshk Tejouvarus became an open and public repository for customers of commercial genetic testing kites, including 23andme to upload their test results and find others with similar genetic diversity. It was about 13,000 users on the site at the time of the announcement of the closure, making it one of the largest public repository in the genetic data. Since its inception, OpenSNP has competed its contribution to academic and scientific research and has identified more than 7,500 genomes.

OpenSNP’s shutdown news comes 23 for bankruptcy protection and filing myAnxiety is anxiety that the huge banks of the company’s sensitive genetic data will be sold to the highest bidder, who cannot comply with the promise of 23andme privacy. Attorney General of the state of California and New York, In othersThe end of this year has warned 23 and my customers to delete their data before the court-appointed self.

Gresek Tozobarus also said that a contributor to the closure of OpenSNP is “the rise of far right and other authoritarian governments,” quotes Removing public data from US government websites Immediately after President Trump returned to power.

Greshk Tejovers writes, “The risk of free and open access to separate genetic data in 2021/Benefits Calculus is very different than 14 years ago,” “In addition to eliminating data stored in OpenSNP – it seems that it is the most responsible for these data today.”

“Always had a balanced job”

When Gresto Tozovarus reached TechCrunch, the decision to close the OpenSNP was now blurred and not soon.

“Why is it now for me to be counted for a fascist coup in the United States,” Greshk Tejovers told German resident Techcunch.

“Referring to recent reports of people living in the United States, he said,” The most suspicious excuses see people disappear from the roads really can’t really say anything else. ” Including US citizensWhom he has been arrested in immigration campaign, Something from whose position goes unknownThe

Greshk Tozoverus said that “the beginning of the Second Trump administration -” Since January “scientific institutions and sciences have broken themselves” – was a reason to close the OpenSNP.

“I do not think that genetic data soon to falsely claim genetic data about various issues is an extensive topic to be worried about how to be tortured to bring back the age of a Gae -e -Eujanics,” he said.

Greshk Tajobarus said that the OpenSNP was “always a balanced task” in its potential use and risk “The existence of the site” was an ongoing thinking about whether the benefits could be higher than the risk. ”

In a Historical Tihasik example he gave – when law enforcement used genetic data from the genology site gadmatch in 2018 Identify a notorious serial killer -Graceke Tejouvarus said that the OpenSNP seemed at the time that it was at risk of use by law enforcement compared to the less relevant or larger predecessor-specific database. (Gresek Tejovers confirmed to TechCrunch that it was open and public nature, OpenSNP never received a law enforcement request for any genetic or user data))

Greshk Tozoverus said that compared to the first Trump administration, “both science abuse was very different and quantitatively different than what we see today.”

“In addition to greater conversations on the impact of genetic information in the context of the 21st and bankruptcy, Greshk Tejovers told TechCrunch,” We have decided that the plug is time to pull. “

Greshic Tajobarus also said that in a positive image, OpenSNP could be his “biggest achievement” that continued for 14 years. He said that the OpenSNP ran around $ 5 per month, in the face of commercial startups that worked on people’s data cashing but eventually failed. Greshk Tozoverus said that in that sense, OpenSNP “Feeling Open Source/Culture as proof of the power of culture.”

Greshk Tozobarus says, “The site has also contributed to research and publications throughout the wide branch,” from infoce/privacy to biomedical studies “. He said many graduates also benefited from getting access to real-world data hosted by the OpenSNP, he said.

“In that sense, I think our hopes of ‘democratic’ in the genomics were at least partially successful,” Greshk Tejovers said.

Updated to correct the name across the name of the OpenSNP.