'There's No Going Back'

<p>This week, “The Daily” is revisiting some of our favorite episodes of the year and checking in on what has happened since the stories first ran. Today: the unexpected story of how family history websites have been used by law enforcement to track down suspects and win convictions — and why retroactive regulation won’t be able to reverse the trend. Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/heather-murphy?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">Heather Murphy</a>, a reporter at The New York Times who spoke with CeCe Moore, a genetic genealogist, and Curtis Rogers, a creator of the genealogy website GEDMatch. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. </p><p>Background reading:</p><ul><li>Today, we revisit<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/07/podcasts/the-daily/genealogy-dna-crime-privacy.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> Part 2</a> of our series on genetic privacy. If you’d like to catch up on the full story, make sure to listen to<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/06/podcasts/the-daily/dna-genealogy-crime.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> Part 1</a> as well.</li><li>Do you think your DNA profile is private? A warrant granted by a judge in Florida could<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/05/business/dna-database-search-warrant.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank"> open up all consumer DNA sites</a> for use by law enforcement agencies across the country.</li><li>At a conference this fall, “rockstars” of the DNA industry and top law enforcement officers grappled with how to regulate the use of genetic material in policing. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/05/us/genetic-genealogy-guidelines-privacy.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">They also practiced solving murders together</a>.</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/smarter-living/how-to-protect-your-dna-data.html?smid=pc-thedaily" target="_blank">Here’s how to protect yourself</a> if you take a genetic test at home.</li></ul>