Individual Data Sharing Consent
Effective Date: June 1, 2026
We invite you to participate in our Expanded DNA Research Project. If you decide to participate, MyHeritage will share deidentified individual-level Personal Information for Research with researchers outside of MyHeritage, for the purposes of studying human genetics and developing new therapies (the "Expanded DNA Research Project").
A key part of our mission is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. One of the ways we do this is through our research programs. You have previously agreed to participate in our research. We are now asking for an additional level of research participation and consent. We seek your permission to share your deidentified individual-level Personal Information for Research with researchers outside of MyHeritage. We collaborate with such researchers when we believe they can help us accelerate research and drive scientific discoveries. We work with them to study different topics including the genetic factors behind diseases and traits.
Any user who utilizes a MyHeritage DNA kit and submits a DNA sample to MyHeritage ("DNA User") to use MyHeritage's DNA services (including but not limited to ethnicity estimates and DNA Matches) (the "DNA Services"), may voluntarily participate in the Expanded DNA Research Project.
We reserve the right to refuse sharing your deidentified data with third parties if applicable laws prohibit it.
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE ("INDIVIDUAL DATA SHARING CONSENT") AND IN OUR PRIVACY POLICY AND US STATE PRIVACY NOTICE (TO THE EXTENT APPLICABLE) SHOULD BE CAREFULLY REVIEWED TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO CONSENT TO OUR PROCESSING ACTIVITIES.
Minors are not allowed to participate in the Expanded DNA Research Project.
Deidentified means that we strip the data of information that could directly identify you (such as name, address, or date of birth). Your data will be shared with the third party researchers along with a single code that does not reveal who you are, instead of your direct identifiers.
We do not collect or share your clinical records. If you consent to Matching to Electronic Health Records, we may share a secure, irreversible code (a hash) of your identifying information with our research collaborators. They may use this code to link your deidentified genetic data with separate, deidentified electronic health records for research purposes. Your personal identity is never disclosed, and all data remains completely deidentified throughout this process.
For the purpose of the Expanded DNA Research Project, we may share the following categories of deidentified individual data with third parties: your demographic information (namely age and gender), genetic information, surveys, health questionnaires, and other information that you provide in the course of your use of our DNA Services and genealogy services (collectively, "Personal Information for Research").
Your deidentified individual data will be processed for the purposes of conducting scientific research related to human genetics and the development of new therapies.
The results of some of the research conducted under the Expanded DNA Research Project, may be published in scientific papers. Such results will be made available only on an aggregate or deidentified basis and will not include any personal information about you. For the most part, we won't be able to contact you every time we would like to share your deidentified individual data. We may ask you to volunteer to provide additional information or take a survey on a specific topic or for a specific collaboration.
We rely on the following legal bases for the processing of your personal information in the context of the Expanded DNA Research Project:
The third parties may include academic researchers, non-profit organizations, pharmaceutical companies, diagnostic companies, and others. Our partners must sign an agreement with us in which they commit to deploying commercially reasonable data security measures.
To participate in the Expanded DNA Research Project, after having read this Individual Data Sharing Consent and our Privacy Policy and US State Privacy Notice (to the extent applicable), while activating your DNA kit, tick the box indicating you have read the Individual Data Sharing Consent and click the button to give your consent to share your deidentified data. This serves as an expression of your explicit consent to the processing of special categories of personal information.
Subject to applicable data protection laws, you have the right to access and review your Personal Information; to request a correction if it is found to be inaccurate; to have your Personal Information erased; to withdraw your consent; and to restrict the processing of your Personal Information. Your rights are further described in the Privacy Policy.
Participation in the Expanded DNA Research Project is purely voluntary. You may withdraw your consent to the sharing of your deidentified individual data as part of the Expanded DNA Research Project at any time. To do so, log on to your account on the MyHeritage website, and then go to "Settings" > "My Privacy" > "My DNA preferences," and uncheck the DNA kits for which you wish to withdraw your consent. Upon your withdrawal, we will notify any third parties of your withdrawal request. Please note that due to the deidentification of certain personal information, any research or studies using deidentified or aggregate information that have already begun, studies that have been completed, and any study results or findings that have been published prior to your withdrawal, cannot be reversed, undone, or removed.
Third parties that receive your deidentified individual data may be located in locations outside of your state, province, or country.
Transfers are limited to countries which are recognized as providing an adequate level of legal protection or where we can be satisfied that alternative safeguards are in place to protect your privacy rights. In particular, if you are a resident of a UK or European Economic Area country, we rely on the EU Commission Standard Contractual Clauses.
We take appropriate steps to ensure that transfers of deidentified individual data take place in accordance with applicable law and are carefully managed to protect your privacy rights and interests.
Our partners must sign an agreement with us in which they commit to deploying commercially reasonable data security measures in place.
If you have any questions or concerns about how we share your deidentified individual data for the Expanded DNA Research Project, please contact us using the details below:
MyHeritage Ltd.
PO box 50, Terminal Park
Or Yehuda 6037606
Israel
Contact form: https://www.myheritage.com/contact-us
Email: privacy@myheritage.com
You may have the right to file a complaint with your local or state data protection authority. Should you wish to file a complaint, please visit your local or state data protection authority's website for additional information on how to file a complaint.
Sharing your individual-level data will allow more researchers to study and analyze the data more thoroughly. This may increase the chance that meaningful scientific discoveries are made such as greater understanding of human disease and biology, and possibly new ways to diagnose or treat diseases. Sometime in the future you, your family or friends may benefit directly or indirectly from the research discoveries made by MyHeritage or our research partners.
Based on the information you provide and allow us to share, MyHeritage or our research collaborators may make new discoveries. In the future, those discoveries could lead to new commercial products or services (for example, new drugs, devices, or screening tests). If this happens, these products or services will be the property of the researchers who developed them.
By consenting, you allow your deidentified data to become part of a larger effort to:
If the results of these collaborations are published in scientific journals, they will serve the academic community by confirming biological facts, uncovering new trends, and fostering innovation in personalized medicine.
There is no physical risk in allowing your information to be processed as part of the Expanded DNA Research Project. While the Personal Information for Research shared (for example, through publication) in the context of the Project will not contain information that typically permits direct identification of an individual, such as a name or address, people may develop processes that would allow someone to re-identify the previously deidentified data. We apply a variety of controls to maintain the anonymity and integrity of our systems and to prevent such actions.
Sharing your individual-level data means your data would be stored in more locations. This would increase the risk of a security breach that could lead to the leak of the data.
Yes. We may terminate the Expanded DNA Research Project at any time and at our discretion, without your consent.
We will not charge participants any fees in order to be part of the Expanded DNA Research Project and there will be no financial compensation paid to the project participants. It is not anticipated that the Expanded DNA Research Project will provide significant benefits to an individual participant, and Expanded DNA Research Project results will not be communicated by us to you should you choose to participate.
Motivation
A key part of our mission is to help people access, understand and benefit from the human genome. One of the ways we do this is through our research programs. You have previously agreed to participate in our research. We are now asking for an additional level of research participation and consent. We seek your permission to share your deidentified individual-level Personal Information for Research with researchers outside of MyHeritage. We collaborate with such researchers when we believe they can help us accelerate research and drive scientific discoveries. We work with them to study different topics including the genetic factors behind diseases and traits.
Participation
Any user who utilizes a MyHeritage DNA kit and submits a DNA sample to MyHeritage ("DNA User") to use MyHeritage's DNA services (including but not limited to ethnicity estimates and DNA Matches) (the "DNA Services"), may voluntarily participate in the Expanded DNA Research Project.
We reserve the right to refuse sharing your deidentified data with third parties if applicable laws prohibit it.
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE ("INDIVIDUAL DATA SHARING CONSENT") AND IN OUR PRIVACY POLICY AND US STATE PRIVACY NOTICE (TO THE EXTENT APPLICABLE) SHOULD BE CAREFULLY REVIEWED TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO CONSENT TO OUR PROCESSING ACTIVITIES.
Minors
Minors are not allowed to participate in the Expanded DNA Research Project.
Deidentified Data Explained
Deidentified means that we strip the data of information that could directly identify you (such as name, address, or date of birth). Your data will be shared with the third party researchers along with a single code that does not reveal who you are, instead of your direct identifiers.
Matching to Electronic Health Records
We do not collect or share your clinical records. If you consent to Matching to Electronic Health Records, we may share a secure, irreversible code (a hash) of your identifying information with our research collaborators. They may use this code to link your deidentified genetic data with separate, deidentified electronic health records for research purposes. Your personal identity is never disclosed, and all data remains completely deidentified throughout this process.
What Deidentified Individual Data May We Share with Third Parties
For the purpose of the Expanded DNA Research Project, we may share the following categories of deidentified individual data with third parties: your demographic information (namely age and gender), genetic information, surveys, health questionnaires, and other information that you provide in the course of your use of our DNA Services and genealogy services (collectively, "Personal Information for Research").
How Will Your Deidentified Individual Data Be Processed in the Context of the Expanded DNA Research Project and What Is the Legal Basis for Processing?
Your deidentified individual data will be processed for the purposes of conducting scientific research related to human genetics and the development of new therapies.
The results of some of the research conducted under the Expanded DNA Research Project, may be published in scientific papers. Such results will be made available only on an aggregate or deidentified basis and will not include any personal information about you. For the most part, we won't be able to contact you every time we would like to share your deidentified individual data. We may ask you to volunteer to provide additional information or take a survey on a specific topic or for a specific collaboration.
We rely on the following legal bases for the processing of your personal information in the context of the Expanded DNA Research Project:
- Your explicit consent for processing special categories of personal data; and
- Third parties' legitimate interest to conduct scientific research.
Who are the Third Parties?
The third parties may include academic researchers, non-profit organizations, pharmaceutical companies, diagnostic companies, and others. Our partners must sign an agreement with us in which they commit to deploying commercially reasonable data security measures.
How Can I Participate in the Project?
To participate in the Expanded DNA Research Project, after having read this Individual Data Sharing Consent and our Privacy Policy and US State Privacy Notice (to the extent applicable), while activating your DNA kit, tick the box indicating you have read the Individual Data Sharing Consent and click the button to give your consent to share your deidentified data. This serves as an expression of your explicit consent to the processing of special categories of personal information.
Your Rights
Subject to applicable data protection laws, you have the right to access and review your Personal Information; to request a correction if it is found to be inaccurate; to have your Personal Information erased; to withdraw your consent; and to restrict the processing of your Personal Information. Your rights are further described in the Privacy Policy.
How Can I Withdraw My Consent?
Participation in the Expanded DNA Research Project is purely voluntary. You may withdraw your consent to the sharing of your deidentified individual data as part of the Expanded DNA Research Project at any time. To do so, log on to your account on the MyHeritage website, and then go to "Settings" > "My Privacy" > "My DNA preferences," and uncheck the DNA kits for which you wish to withdraw your consent. Upon your withdrawal, we will notify any third parties of your withdrawal request. Please note that due to the deidentification of certain personal information, any research or studies using deidentified or aggregate information that have already begun, studies that have been completed, and any study results or findings that have been published prior to your withdrawal, cannot be reversed, undone, or removed.
Will the Project Involve Transfer of Your Deidentified Individual Data to Other Countries?
Third parties that receive your deidentified individual data may be located in locations outside of your state, province, or country.
Transfers are limited to countries which are recognized as providing an adequate level of legal protection or where we can be satisfied that alternative safeguards are in place to protect your privacy rights. In particular, if you are a resident of a UK or European Economic Area country, we rely on the EU Commission Standard Contractual Clauses.
We take appropriate steps to ensure that transfers of deidentified individual data take place in accordance with applicable law and are carefully managed to protect your privacy rights and interests.
How Will Your Deidentified Individual Data Be Protected?
Our partners must sign an agreement with us in which they commit to deploying commercially reasonable data security measures in place.
Our Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about how we share your deidentified individual data for the Expanded DNA Research Project, please contact us using the details below:
MyHeritage Ltd.
PO box 50, Terminal Park
Or Yehuda 6037606
Israel
Contact form: https://www.myheritage.com/contact-us
Email: privacy@myheritage.com
How to File a Complaint?
You may have the right to file a complaint with your local or state data protection authority. Should you wish to file a complaint, please visit your local or state data protection authority's website for additional information on how to file a complaint.
What are the Benefits of Participating in the Project?
Sharing your individual-level data will allow more researchers to study and analyze the data more thoroughly. This may increase the chance that meaningful scientific discoveries are made such as greater understanding of human disease and biology, and possibly new ways to diagnose or treat diseases. Sometime in the future you, your family or friends may benefit directly or indirectly from the research discoveries made by MyHeritage or our research partners.
Based on the information you provide and allow us to share, MyHeritage or our research collaborators may make new discoveries. In the future, those discoveries could lead to new commercial products or services (for example, new drugs, devices, or screening tests). If this happens, these products or services will be the property of the researchers who developed them.
By consenting, you allow your deidentified data to become part of a larger effort to:
- Accelerate Medical Discovery: Empower pharmaceutical companies and global research institutes to identify the genetic roots of complex diseases, potentially leading to earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments.
- Fuel Drug Development: Support the creation of new life-saving medications and therapies by helping researchers understand how different individuals respond to specific treatments based on their genetic makeup.
- Advance the Greater Good: Contribute to a massive, diverse data pool that enables scientists to study the human species at a scale otherwise impossible, helping to solve public health challenges and improve quality of life for future generations.
If the results of these collaborations are published in scientific journals, they will serve the academic community by confirming biological facts, uncovering new trends, and fostering innovation in personalized medicine.
Are there any risks to participating?
There is no physical risk in allowing your information to be processed as part of the Expanded DNA Research Project. While the Personal Information for Research shared (for example, through publication) in the context of the Project will not contain information that typically permits direct identification of an individual, such as a name or address, people may develop processes that would allow someone to re-identify the previously deidentified data. We apply a variety of controls to maintain the anonymity and integrity of our systems and to prevent such actions.
Sharing your individual-level data means your data would be stored in more locations. This would increase the risk of a security breach that could lead to the leak of the data.
Could my Participation End Without my Consent?
Yes. We may terminate the Expanded DNA Research Project at any time and at our discretion, without your consent.
What are the Costs and Will I Receive Compensation?
We will not charge participants any fees in order to be part of the Expanded DNA Research Project and there will be no financial compensation paid to the project participants. It is not anticipated that the Expanded DNA Research Project will provide significant benefits to an individual participant, and Expanded DNA Research Project results will not be communicated by us to you should you choose to participate.