Institute for Genomic Data Governance Research and policy at the intersection of genomics and data.

Institute for Genomic Data Governance

Research and policy at the intersection of genomics and data.

Latest Articles

Recruited by the Double Helix: How Consumer Genomes Are Quietly Becoming Clinical Trial Currency
Policy Explainers

Recruited by the Double Helix: How Consumer Genomes Are Quietly Becoming Clinical Trial Currency

Pharmaceutical sponsors are increasingly mining consumer genomic databases to identify candidates for clinical trials, often under consent terms volunteers never carefully examined. This explainer maps the recruitment pipeline, the regulatory seams it runs through, and the questions patients should ask before their genome becomes an entry ticket.
Spit, Signatures, and Settlements: Family Law's Quiet Encounter With the Genome
Policy Explainers

Spit, Signatures, and Settlements: Family Law's Quiet Encounter With the Genome

At-home DNA kits were marketed as tools of self-discovery, but they are increasingly appearing as exhibits in divorce and custody proceedings across the United States. This explainer maps how courts, prenuptial drafters, and privacy statutes are colliding over a question family law never anticipated: who owns a genome within a marriage?
Marked Down, Signed Up: The Consent Problems Hidden in a Genetic Testing Sale
Policy Explainers

Marked Down, Signed Up: The Consent Problems Hidden in a Genetic Testing Sale

Flash sales and holiday bundles have become the primary engine of consumer genomics growth in the United States, yet regulators have paid little attention to how promotional pressure shapes the decision to surrender a genome. This explainer maps the gap between marketing-driven enrollment and meaningful informed consent.
The Border Meets the Base Pair: How Immigration Enforcement Is Edging Toward Genomic Data
Policy Explainers

The Border Meets the Base Pair: How Immigration Enforcement Is Edging Toward Genomic Data

Immigration authorities have long relied on fingerprints and iris scans; DNA remains the newest and least governed biometric at the edge of enforcement. This explainer traces the legal authorities, procurement patterns, and court rulings that could carry a saliva sample from a visa file into an immigration courtroom — and maps the gaps where Congress has yet to speak.
When the Genomics Company Fails: A Policy Guide to Bankruptcy Proceedings and the Fate of Stored Genetic Data
Policy Explainers

When the Genomics Company Fails: A Policy Guide to Bankruptcy Proceedings and the Fate of Stored Genetic Data

Corporate insolvency in the consumer genomics sector raises urgent questions about what happens to millions of stored genomes when a company reorganizes or dissolves. This policy explainer examines how US bankruptcy law treats genetic data as an asset, why existing privacy statutes offer limited protection during liquidation, and what reforms could close the gap.
Policy Explainers

Before an Underwriter Ever Reads Your File: Mapping the Data Brokers Between Consumer Genomics and Insurance Pricing

Consumer genomic exports increasingly flow through analytics intermediaries before any human underwriter sees a file. This explainer traces those data pathways and examines the points at which GINA's framework, written for a pre-algorithmic era, loses its grip.
Sequenced in Boston, Analyzed in Singapore: The Quiet Offshoring of American Genomes
Policy Explainers

Sequenced in Boston, Analyzed in Singapore: The Quiet Offshoring of American Genomes

A growing share of American sequencing data now travels through laboratories and cloud infrastructure overseas, where HIPAA and GINA offer no protection. This explainer maps the offshore pipeline and the regulatory gaps it exposes.
Badges, Passwords, and Base Pairs: Auditing Who Really Holds the Keys to the American Genome
Working Papers

Badges, Passwords, and Base Pairs: Auditing Who Really Holds the Keys to the American Genome

Sequencing centers safeguard some of the most identifiable data in existence, yet access often rests on shared credentials and rotating student staff. This working paper surveys access-control practices at major US facilities and proposes a tiered standard for genomic data custody.
Wellness Perks with a Double Helix: What Workers Should Know Before Swabbing at the Office
Policy Explainers

Wellness Perks with a Double Helix: What Workers Should Know Before Swabbing at the Office

Employer-sponsored genetic testing occupies a murky corner of American health law, where GINA's protections meet HIPAA's gaps and state statutes of uneven strength. This explainer maps the landscape and offers practical steps for employees facing a workplace genomics program.
Fifty Rules, One Genome: How State Lines Redraw the Boundaries of Genetic Privacy
Policy Explainers

Fifty Rules, One Genome: How State Lines Redraw the Boundaries of Genetic Privacy

Federal law protects Americans from genetic discrimination in health insurance and employment, but it says little about who may buy, sell, or broker the raw data of heredity. Into that vacuum, state legislatures have constructed fifty divergent regimes — leaving the same genome with different legal protections depending on the mailing address of its owner.
Chain of Custody, Chain of Nucleotides: Tracing a Police Request Through a Consumer DNA Database
Working Papers

Chain of Custody, Chain of Nucleotides: Tracing a Police Request Through a Consumer DNA Database

Since the 2018 arrest of the Golden State Killer, law enforcement access to consumer genetic databases has moved from hypothetical to routine. This working paper reconstructs the procedural pathway of a typical police request — from subpoena to database query to courtroom — and evaluates the transparency practices of the major testing services.
When the Referee Suits Up for Both Teams: The Self-Audit Problem in American Genomic Governance
Working Papers

When the Referee Suits Up for Both Teams: The Self-Audit Problem in American Genomic Governance

In the United States, the institutions that hold our genomic data frequently write, enforce, and evaluate their own compliance rules. This working paper examines the structural conflict at the heart of that arrangement and proposes an independent, credentialed genomic data auditing profession as a remedy.
Buried in the Boilerplate: Contract Provisions in American DNA Testing Kits That Deserve a Second Reading
Policy Explainers

Buried in the Boilerplate: Contract Provisions in American DNA Testing Kits That Deserve a Second Reading

The terms of service accompanying popular ancestry and health DNA kits contain provisions that would raise eyebrows in any constitutional law seminar — from unilateral policy changes to open-ended research reconsent. This explainer walks through five of the most consequential clauses and what consumers should reasonably expect instead.
Learning Without Storing: The Governance Gap in Genomics-Driven AI Licensing
Working Papers

Learning Without Storing: The Governance Gap in Genomics-Driven AI Licensing

Hospitals and biobanks are increasingly licensing genomic datasets to AI developers under agreements that existing oversight frameworks were never designed to address. This working paper examines the accountability vacuum that emerges when a model, rather than a database, becomes the custodian of genetic insight.
One Spit Tube, Many Stakeholders: Rethinking Consent for the Extended Family
Policy Explainers

One Spit Tube, Many Stakeholders: Rethinking Consent for the Extended Family

A single relative's decision to upload their DNA to a consumer genealogy service can expose medical and identity information about relatives who never agreed to anything. This explainer surveys the fragmented state-level response and makes the case for a kin-aware consent framework in federal policy.
Lessons Written in Base Pairs: A Brief History of Genomic Data Incidents and the Case They Build
Working Papers

Lessons Written in Base Pairs: A Brief History of Genomic Data Incidents and the Case They Build

This working paper reviews five incidents involving genetic databases — from insider misuse to law enforcement searches — and the policy responses each provoked. It concludes with a threshold analysis: what would the next incident have to involve before Congress moves on a federal genomic privacy statute?
Policy Explainers

Digital Estate, Biological Legacy: The Unsettled Law of Genomic Data After Death

When a consumer dies, their genetic data does not simply vanish — but who may lawfully access it remains remarkably unclear. This explainer maps the terms-of-service landscape, the estate planning gap, and the state laws beginning to fill the void.
From Silos to Federation: Five Working Papers Challenging the Next Generation of NIH Data Sharing
Working Papers

From Silos to Federation: Five Working Papers Challenging the Next Generation of NIH Data Sharing

As NIH implements its 2024 genomic data-sharing requirements, a wave of working papers and comment letters is pressing for revisions. We summarize five proposals—spanning tribal sovereignty, federated query architectures, and consent infrastructure—and assess what each would mean in practice.
Reading the Fine Print on Your DNA: What Americans Actually Control Over Their Genomic Information
Policy Explainers

Reading the Fine Print on Your DNA: What Americans Actually Control Over Their Genomic Information

No single federal statute governs who holds your genome once it leaves your body. This plain-language guide untangles HIPAA, GINA, state privacy laws, and consumer contracts—and offers a practical checklist for anyone asked to share their DNA.