Is Your DNA Private? It Might Not Be

08:08

July 04, 2013

Vickie Chaplin loads patient samples into a machine for testing at Myriad Genetics Friday, May 31, 2002, in Salt Lake City. (Douglas C. Pizac/AP)

Would you want your girlfriend's parents to be able to test your DNA to find out your ancestry? What if the grad school you were applying to wanted to test for tendencies for mental illness?

Within a few years, the cost of DNA sequencing may be just a few hundred dollars. When it gets that cheap, it will be easy for anyone to get a test.

But should there be legal restrictions on it? And is there a way to keep our DNA private?

Guest:

Larry Hunter, professor of bioinformatics at the University of Colorado's School of Medicine in Denver.

This segment aired on July 4, 2013.