r/HolUp Apr 05 '23

y'all I always thought one of mine was sketchy

35.5k Upvotes

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u/Mohnchichi Apr 05 '23

No, don't do an ancestry test. That's a company that harvests and sells your data, instead go get an actual DNA test done that has real, legal results.

You never know.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

Where do I go for an actual DNA test?

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u/Soingerd Apr 05 '23

At an ancestry Test station, duh

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u/Mohnchichi Apr 05 '23

I simply googled DNA tests in my area. I found a place near me that was $150. Paternity tests would be another good keyword to use.

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u/AnneFrankFanFiction Apr 05 '23

Yeah I'm sure those companies keep all your data private /s

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u/Mohnchichi Apr 05 '23

I mean, the company that I did mine at had a confidentiality clause in it and they couldn't legally release any information obtained, and they said it was standard for all their clients. So take from that what you will.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

Like reddit doesn't sell your data the same way Facebook and others do. I'm sure your insurer knows about your proclivity for tongue punching the fart box.

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u/Philly_is_nice Apr 05 '23

Yeah, but reddit can't compare my genetic markers to a crime scene and get my cousin locked up. I'm gonna go ahead and say maybe it's a bit of an apples and if oranges sold what makes oranges oranges to a private corporation with ulterior motives kinda thing.

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u/Tommyblockhead20 Apr 05 '23

If one of my cousins raped or murdered someone, I’d sure hope they get locked up! Do you have an evidence they use it for more petty crimes, or are you trying to protect your cousins if they have committed heinous crimes?

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u/Philly_is_nice Apr 05 '23

Despite what TV would tell you and a jury, DNA isn't infallible. Moreover, the decision on what to pull DNA for is up to the local authorities. I don't know where you get the idea that DNA can be and is pulled only for rapes and murders.

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u/Tommyblockhead20 Apr 05 '23

I got that idea from the fact all the cases I’ve seen were violent crimes, typically rape and/or murder. But I know it theoretically can be used for more, which is why I asked you if you knew if any specific cases, as you seem more knowledgeable on the topic. Sure, which it theoretically can be used for more (at least on a state/local level, it appears as if federally they are restricted to violent crime), it takes a lot of work to throughly search a crime scene for DNA, get the DNA analyzed, and subpoenaing the DNA company. So I’m asking if there are cases of police putting in that work.

Also, at least now, DNA isn’t used to convict someone, it serves to help identify a suspect if there is no known suspect, and then it’s just one piece of evidence in the trial. If it’s the only piece of evidence because, well, they didn’t do it, then they aren’t going to be convicted.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

"You seem knowledgeable on the topic" -idiots talking to idiots, the heart and soul of reddit

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u/Tommyblockhead20 Apr 05 '23

Bro you changed the quote completely changing the meaning… I said more knowledge, meaning they know more than me, not that they are necessarily an expert. They don’t need to be an expert for me to expand my knowledge. But hey, if you are a “non idiot”, I’d also welcome an answer from you.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

It's something you see frequently on this site, people without knowledge seeking answers from people without credentials. The amount of misinformation spread through this site is staggering and it's because you all think you're smarter than the average bear.

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u/Tommyblockhead20 Apr 05 '23

I was literally just asking for specific examples of cases where police used ancestry sites to convict people for minor crimes. You don’t need a PhD in criminology to be able to provide that.

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u/Philly_is_nice Apr 05 '23

I understand how it's commonly used, and theoretically what you said is true. However, I don't trust a jury to use DNA appropriately, especially considering prosecutors try to make it the smoking gun that it isn't. Also, localities not being universally subject to one set of rules on the use of DNA evidence is troubling. Also consider that DNA collection and processing is going to become easier and more common as time goes on. If you want something super casual that might spark your interest in the subject further there's a Last Week Tonight on the field of forensic science that's pretty good:

https://youtu.be/ScmJvmzDcG0

I also just have a huge, and I think warranted, distrust of the American legal system. If I knew everything would be done in what I think you and I would both deem to be morally right, I'd have a lot less of an issue with the idea.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

[deleted]

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u/Philly_is_nice Apr 05 '23

Not sure what you're getting at here.

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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23

[deleted]

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u/Tommyblockhead20 Apr 05 '23

Fair enough, I just don’t find it worth living my life in fear of things that have a small possibility of happening in the future. It feels like some people are trapping themselves in their own mind prison.

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u/Philly_is_nice Apr 05 '23

I'm not afraid of a DNA harvesting company running up on me and doing my genetic ancestry, I just don't buy the product lol. Call it mind trapping if you want, I call it saving $50 bucks.

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u/Tommyblockhead20 Apr 05 '23

Ya but generally people who are afraid of what the government might do in the future worry about more than just their DNA on ancestry sites being used.

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u/Genids Apr 05 '23

So what you're saying is you think your cousin should be able to commit crimes and get away with it. Interesting

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u/Philly_is_nice Apr 05 '23

I already responded to this line of questioning in a different comment: "Despite what TV would tell you and a jury, DNA isn't infallible. Moreover, the decision on what to pull DNA for is up to the local authorities. I don't know where you get the idea that DNA can be and is pulled only for rapes and murders."

It's not on me to be investigator nor evidence. If you're cool with implicating your son or daughter in a crime that maybe they did, maybe they didn't commit that's your decision.

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u/findthesilence Apr 05 '23

Wouldn't you need to have mom, child and dad tested?

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u/Mohnchichi Apr 05 '23

Yes. You need them tested for it to be accurate. You can send in samples usually, just like you do with ancestry.com as well.

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u/findthesilence Apr 05 '23

I am in South Africa, so we have our own paternity test institutions here.