Ancestry.com Highlights Why You Should Read The EULA

Quick straw poll – how many of us actually read the license agreement when we sign on to an online service or install a new app? I’ll be honest, I almost never do. And the only times I have is in corporate environments where the lawyers have done it for me.

But this week, it has been revealed that genealogy company Ancestry has been offering DNA testing where they claim perpetual ownership of your DNA.

An article by Joel Winston covers the specifics of the Ancestry.com issues.

Winston says:

Ancestry.com, on the other hand, gets free ownership of your genetic information forever. Technically, Ancestry.com will own your DNA even after you’re dead.

I wonder what other nasty surprises are in store for us when we delve into the detail of license agreements. What unexpected conditions have you found? Let’s help each other by sharing the gotchas we’ve found in the comments.

Update: Ancestry.com has issued a statement regarding its license to use your DNA. I’m not a lawyer so I won’t dissect what they have said. But I stand by what I stated earlier.

We all click or tap the OK or Accept buttons on license and user agreements without a second thought. I think the problem is the agreements are written by and for legal experts. They need to be written with users in mind.


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