Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy

ForenSeq Study

Master
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Project Description

Content

FORENSEQ is a trademark of Verogen, Inc. and Qiagen, N.V. The ForenSeq Study is not affiliated with the FORENSEQ mark.

After the Golden State Killer: Public Preferences and Policy Implications of Police Use of Genetic Data

In 2018, the arrest of the alleged Golden State Killer made headlines around the world. He was identified using a controversial new technique called investigative genetic genealogy (IGG). This technique involves uploading crime scene DNA to genetic genealogy databases with the intention of identifying a criminal offender’s genetic relatives and, eventually, locating the offender in their family tree. Since 2018, according to one expert, IGG has helped lead to the successful identification of over 1,000 violent criminal suspects.

At the same time, the technique has been challenged by those who argue it violates fundamental privacy interests of database participants and their families. Some believe that these privacy concerns are so compelling that IGG threatens to undermine public participation in clinical and research genetic databases, especially those maintained by the government.

Past studies—including our own—have demonstrated that individuals are concerned about genetic privacy, yet they are willing to share their genetic data with certain individuals, for particular reasons, and under specific conditions. But all of these studies pre-date IGG and none probed participation by law enforcement in genetic genealogy or other recreational genetic databases. Understanding the complex trade-offs that the public makes when assessing the value and acceptability of law enforcement use of genetic data will be important in ensuring that IGG-relevant policies and practices that are adopted strike a balance between safety and privacy that is acceptable to the public.

This project involves:

  • Qualitative interviews to characterize and forecast law enforcement participation in genetic genealogy databases.
  • Focus groups and a discrete choice experiment to measure preferences related to law enforcement participation in genetic genealogy databases.
  • A modified policy Delphi to develop best practices related to law enforcement participation in genetic genealogy databases.

Supported by: R01HG011268, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, 2020-2024

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Project Personnel

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Co-Principal Investigators

Co-Investigators

  • Stephanie Malia Fullerton, D.Phil., Co-Investigator
  • John F.P. Bridges, Ph.D., Co-Investigator
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Presentations

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2024

  1. Christi Guerrini participated in a panel at the National Academies workshop on Law Enforcement use of Probabilistic Genotyping, Forensic DNA Phenotyping, and Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy Technologies in Washington DC: "Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy: Considerations for Implementation."

2023

  1. Whitney Bash Brooks presented at the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities annual meeting in Baltimore, MD: "Public perceptions on law enforcement use of IGG: results from a choice experiment.
  2. Amy McGuire and Christi Guerrini participated in an invited panel at the International Symposium on Human Identification annual meeting in Denver, CO: “Solving crimes while protecting genetic privacy.”
  3. Whitney Bash Brooks presented two posters at the International Symposium on Human Identification annual meeting in Denver, CO: "Concerns, predictions, and possibilities: a systematic review of ethical issues associated with investigative genetic genealogy" and "Public perspectives on investigative genetic genealogy practices and policies."
  4. Sara Huston presented a poster at the International Symposium on Human Identification annual meeting in Denver, CO:"Twitter/X insigths into public perspectives regarding investigative genetic genealogy."
  5. Nicola Campoamor presented a poster at the Society for Medical Decision Making annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA: "Pretesting novel discrete-choice instruments: A guide for researchers."
  6. Christi Guerrini presented at the Ramapo Investigative Genetic Genealogy Conference in Mahwah, NJ: “IGG from the inside: Practitioner Perspectives on the practice, future, and politics of investigative genetic genealogy.”
  7. Whitney Bash-Brooks presented at the Ramapo Investigative Genetic Genealogy Conference in Mahwah, NJ: “ELSI inside the precinct: a systematic review of rthical and regulatory issues with investigative genetic genealogy.”
  8. Diana Maden presented at the Ramapo Investigative Genetic Genealogy Conference in Mahwah, NJ: “Insights from social media into public perspectives on investigative genetic genealogy.”
  9. Christi Guerrini presented a poster at the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Annual Symposium in Austin, TX: "IGG from the inside: practitioner perspectives on the practice, future, and politics of investigative genetic genealogy."

2022

  1. Amy McGuire was a presenter in Verogen’s Forensic Investigative Genealogy Master Class webinar: “Public perceptions and Investigative Genetic Genealogy.” 
  2. Christi Guerrini presented at the at the American Society for Bioethics and the Humanities annual conference (virtual): “Investigative genetic genealogy from the inside: what is its ethical practice and future?”
  3. Stephanie Malia Fullerton, Christi Guerrini, and Amy McGuire participated in a panel at ELSICon (virtual): “Developing an evidence base for investigative genetic genealogy policy making.” 

2021

  1. Christi Guerrini presented at The Biology of Genomes conference (virtual): “Law enforcement use of genetic data: old, new, and non controversies."
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Supplement Project

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IGG on the Internet: Characterizing Public Perspectives on Law Enforcement Use of Genetic Genealogy Data in Social Media

Project Description

Since DeAngelo’s arrest, IGG has aided resolution of hundreds of cases in the United States. The use of IGG has stimulated U.S. public debate about the technique’s ethical acceptability, especially important as more law enforcement use IGG in investigations.

Traditional media websites and social media platforms are a rich repository of these conversations. Specifically, public comments posted to these web platforms can be mined using informatics tools and interpreted using traditional social science methods to reveal features, applications, and consequences of IGG that are associated with public approval and disapproval. These publicly sourced data emerge without intervention or influence by researchers, allowing unique observations.

FORENSEQ is a trademark of Verogen, Inc. and Qiagen, N.V. The ForenSeq Study is not affiliated with the FORENSEQ mark.

Project Personnel

Primary Investigator

Additional Investigator

1 year supplement, $170,578

Supported by: HG011268-03S1, National Human Genome Research Institute, NIH, 2023-2024

Publications

  1. Guerrini CJ, Bash Brooks W, Robinson JO, Fullerton SM, Zoorob E, McGuire AL. IGG in the trenches: results of an in-depth interview study on the practice, politics, and future of investigative genetic genealogy. Forensic Science International; 2024;356. Published 2024 Mar. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.111946.
  2. Campmoamor NB, Guerrini CJ, Bash Brooks W, Bridges JFP, Crossnohere NL. Pretesting discrete‑choice experiments: A guide for researchers. Patient.2024;17,109-120. Published 16 Feb 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40271-024-00672-z
  3. McGuire AL, Wickenheiser R, Budowle B, Gurney D, Guerrini CJ. Solving crimes while protecting genetic privacy. Forensic Gen; Published 2023 Dec 7. https://doi.org/10.1089/forensic.2023.0015
  4. Guerrini CJ, Gurney D, Kramer S, Moore, C, Press M, McGuire AL. State genetic privacy statutes: Good intentions, unintended consequences? Bill of Health; Published 2023 Aug 10. https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2023/08/10/state-genetic-privacy-statutes-good-intentions-unintended-consequences/
  5. Guerrini CJ, McGuire, AL. Studying public preferences and policy options for investigative genetic genealogy. ISHI News. Publishes 2021 Nov 09
  6. Guerrini CJ, Wickenheiser RA, Bettinger B, McGuire AL, Fullerton SM. Four misconceptions about investigative genetic genealogy. J Law Biosci. 2021;8(1):lsab001. Published 2021 Apr 13. doi:10.1093/jlb/lsab001
  7. Guerrini CJ, Robinson JO, Petersen D, McGuire AL. Should police have access to genetic genealogy databases? Capturing the Golden State Killer and other criminals using a controversial new forensic technique. PLoS Biol. 2018;16(10):e2006906. Published 2018 Oct 2. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2006906
  8. Ram N, Guerrini CJ, McGuire AL. Genealogy databases and the future of criminal investigation. Science. 2018;360(6393):1078-1079. doi:10.1126/science.aau1083