Have you ever wondered why so many things we use every day are free? WhatsApp, Google, Facebook and many other apps not only do not charge their users but also have great value. The answer is simple: they obtain a large amount of data from their users and that moves much more money than we could pay them. Today, information is power and money, so the rules of the game have changed.
In addition to the data on how we move, what we do or what we like, there is a new type of data that may end up imposing itself on others: how we are . This information is encoded in our DNA and biotechnology is advancing in such leaps and bounds to draw conclusions from it.
DNA, encoded inside our cells, is like an organism’s instruction book. Reading the human genome allows us to know what predispositions we have, for example, to suffer from a certain type of disease.
Having the genetic information of all possible people would be a dream for many companies, especially pharmaceutical or insurance companies. For example, you could find out who is predisposed to cancer, diabetes, and many other diseases. Today the genome of a person is only sequenced in case of need, but there are already those who ask that this be done to all newborns to detect diseases early.
With this in mind, a new startup called Nebula Genomics has had an idea. They want each person to be able to sequence – read – their genome and that, after paying (it costs about a thousand dollars right now, although the cost continues to drop), the data belongs to them. Thus, they can then choose to sell that data to companies.
From Nebula Genomics they suggest that other companies that are in charge of sequencing genomes on request could already be selling their clients’ data, so they want to differentiate themselves from these questionable practices by offering transparency.
There are only a few years left before we are able to fully understand what our genes say, and this could radically change our outlook on life. Without a doubt, being able to decipher our genes leads to a great ethical debate. Do we want to know if we are going to have cancer? Is it fair to tell someone that they might develop a certain disease? Can insurers refuse to give us insurance if we are prone to heart attack?
Knowing the content of our genome can be very useful, help us prevent diseases and cure others faster and better, but it also has ethical implications that we have to know and value.
