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Are we killing privacy?

Book review written by Tori Aarseth
Will we in the future be sorted based on our genes? Gene research can provide new treatment methods for serious diseases, but to get there, our genomes need to be mapped. 

(THIS ARTICLE IS ONLY MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)

"What I am afraid of is genetic discrimination," Ellen Økland Blinkenberg told Ny Tid. Blinkenberg is a specialist in medical genetics and has written a book on issues related to genetic research, My DNAgbok. “We are sorted and selected all the time, we get grades at school and we are selected for football teams, but sorting based on genes is something new. There may be insurance companies, employers or high-level sports clubs who want to know who to bet on. After all, all the agencies that evaluate us are interested in knowing as much as possible about us, including the genome as well. ”

The pressure to map people's genes is not a trivial matter, according to director of the Norwegian Data Protection Authority Bjørn Erik Thon. "It's the code for the person you are mapping here. When it comes to whole genome sequencing, in reality we know everything about us, at least when it comes to the genetic: diseases one may be predisposed to, skill in sports, preferences for studies and maybe all the way down. . .

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Tori Aarseth
Aarseth is a political scientist and a regular journalist at Ny Tid.

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