DNA Informed Consent — MyHeritage DNA Research Project
updated on October 28, 2021
The MyHeritage DNA Research Project (the "Project") is a program designed by MyHeritage to better understand human genetics, genealogy, and anthropology.
Any user who uploads DNA markers, nucleotides, variations or haplogroups ("DNA Results") to the MyHeritage website (the "Website"), whether their own or as an authorized agent of the owner of the DNA Results, in order to use MyHeritage's services, products, software, and applications for the DNA features on the Website (including but not limited to ethnicity estimates and DNA Matches) (the "DNA Services"), and any user who submits a DNA sample to MyHeritage using a MyHeritage DNA kit in order to use the DNA Services (collectively, the "DNA Users") may voluntarily participate in the Project.
We process personal information about DNA Users to conduct the Project. We do so on the basis of explicit consent.
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE ("INFORMED CONSENT") AND IN OUR PRIVACY POLICY SHOULD BE CAREFULLY REVIEWED TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO CONSENT TO OUR PROCESSING ACTIVITIES.
Should you have any questions, please contact us at https://www.myheritage.com/contact-us
MyHeritage will never sell or license your genetic information, your health information, or any of your other personal information (such as your name and email address) to any third parties, including insurance companies, government agencies, other corporations, or employers.
If you are the parent or guardian of a minor who may wish to participate in the Project, you should talk with your child and go over the information in this Informed Consent with him/her before you and your child decide to participate in the Project.
A. What information do we collect?
The Project collects, preserves and analyzes genetic information, genealogical lineage, historical records, photographs, surveys, health questionnaires, and other information that you provide in the course of your use of our DNA Services (collectively, "Personal Information for Research").
We also process your contact details to invite you to complete questionnaires. Please read our Privacy Policy to know more about such processing.
B. How do we use Personal Information for Research in the Project?
We process the Personal Information for Research in order to conduct research studies designed to further our understanding of genealogy, anthropology, cultures, human evolution and migration, human genetics, population genetics, epidemiology, population health issues, and regional health issues.
Examples of research conducted in the past by MyHeritage under the Project include the development of Genetic Groups, refinement of Ethnicity Estimates, the development of new Polygenic Risk Scores, and other new features that became part of the DNA Services.
We will not: (1) conduct research on topics unrelated to the Project, or (2) use Personal Information for Research beyond what is described in this Informed Consent. Should we wish to increase the scope of the research, we will re-contact you to seek your specific consent.
MyHeritage may publish the results of some of the research conducted under the Project in scientific papers to benefit the community. Such results will be made available only on an aggregate basis and will not include any personal information about you.
C. How can I take part in the Project?
To participate in the Project, and after having read this Informed Consent and our Privacy Policy, tick the box indicating your consent to the processing activities conducted as part of the Project. This serves as expression of your explicit consent to the processing of special categories of personal information.
D. How can I withdraw my consent?
Participation in the Project is purely voluntary. You may withdraw your consent to our processing of your Personal Information for Research as part of the Project at any time. If you choose to withdraw your consent, you may do so by going to 'Settings' > 'My Privacy' > 'My DNA preferences', and uncheck the DNA kits in relation to which you wish to withdraw your consent. Upon your withdrawal, we will cease using your DNA Results. Please note that due to the de-identification of certain Personal Information for Research, any research or studies using anonymized or aggregate information that has 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.
E. Will MyHeritage transfer Personal Information for Research to other countries?
Information obtained through the Project will be stored in our secure databases in the United States. MyHeritage takes appropriate steps to ensure that transfers of personal information take place in accordance with applicable law and are carefully managed to protect your privacy rights and interests.
Accordingly, 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 European Economic Area country, we rely on the EU Commission standard contractual clauses. Contact us for more information about the safeguards we have in place.
F. How will MyHeritage and its affiliates protect Personal Information for Research?
We use a combination of physical, technical, and administrative procedures to protect the privacy and security of information. For example, we restrict access to our data center and databases by using industry standard physical and logical protocols, encrypted Internet connections to the Website, and all MyHeritage owned computer servers employ appropriate security controls. As Personal Information for Research is shared between and among us, it will be protected through the use of encryption.
Whenever Personal Information for Research from multiple individuals is aggregated, personal identifiers (such as names, birth dates and specific locations, etc.) from those participants will be removed.
Only specifically authorized individuals at MyHeritage have access to your genetic information and the Personal Information for Research.
G. Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns about how MyHeritage uses your Personal Information for Research or about the Project, please contact us using the details below.
Our Contact Details:
MyHeritage Ltd.
PO box 50, Terminal Park
Or Yehuda 6037606
Israel
Contact form: https://www.myheritage.com/contact-us
Email: privacy@myheritage.com
A. What are the benefits of participating?
It is not anticipated that the Project will provide significant benefit to an individual participant, and Project results will not be communicated by MyHeritage to you should you choose to participate.
The research under the Project is conducted internally by the MyHeritage Science Team and the MyHeritage product and engineering teams. If fruits of the Project are published from time to time, this will assist academics and researchers to better understand the human species, learn or confirm certain facts and make predictions about future trends. Thus, the more Personal Information for Research is contributed to the Project, the better any potential results could be.
B. Are there any risks to participating?
Your DNA Results may reveal information about you or your biological family (blood relatives) that you did not know, and thus, it is not possible to predict all unintended consequences or risks. However, there is no physical risk to allowing your information to be processed as part of the 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 identification of an individual, such as a name or address, people may develop processes that would allow someone to re-identify the previously de-identified data. We apply a variety of controls to maintain the anonymity and integrity of our systems and to prevent such actions. However, as with other technological controls, there is no guarantee against unauthorized or nefarious actors.
While there may be additional risks to participation that are currently unforeseeable, MyHeritage will continually work to prevent negative impact to our individual participants.
C. Could my participation end without my consent?
Yes. We may terminate the Project at any time and in our discretion, without your consent.
D. What are the costs and will I receive compensation?
MyHeritage will not charge participants any fees in order to be part of the Project and there will be no financial compensation paid to Project participants. It is not anticipated that the Project will provide significantly benefit to an individual participant, and Project results will not be communicated by MyHeritage to you should you choose to participate.
Any user who uploads DNA markers, nucleotides, variations or haplogroups ("DNA Results") to the MyHeritage website (the "Website"), whether their own or as an authorized agent of the owner of the DNA Results, in order to use MyHeritage's services, products, software, and applications for the DNA features on the Website (including but not limited to ethnicity estimates and DNA Matches) (the "DNA Services"), and any user who submits a DNA sample to MyHeritage using a MyHeritage DNA kit in order to use the DNA Services (collectively, the "DNA Users") may voluntarily participate in the Project.
We process personal information about DNA Users to conduct the Project. We do so on the basis of explicit consent.
THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE ("INFORMED CONSENT") AND IN OUR PRIVACY POLICY SHOULD BE CAREFULLY REVIEWED TO DECIDE WHETHER YOU WANT TO CONSENT TO OUR PROCESSING ACTIVITIES.
Should you have any questions, please contact us at https://www.myheritage.com/contact-us
Important privacy protection
MyHeritage will never sell or license your genetic information, your health information, or any of your other personal information (such as your name and email address) to any third parties, including insurance companies, government agencies, other corporations, or employers.
If you are the parent or guardian of a minor who may wish to participate in the Project, you should talk with your child and go over the information in this Informed Consent with him/her before you and your child decide to participate in the Project.
A. What information do we collect?
The Project collects, preserves and analyzes genetic information, genealogical lineage, historical records, photographs, surveys, health questionnaires, and other information that you provide in the course of your use of our DNA Services (collectively, "Personal Information for Research").
We also process your contact details to invite you to complete questionnaires. Please read our Privacy Policy to know more about such processing.
B. How do we use Personal Information for Research in the Project?
We process the Personal Information for Research in order to conduct research studies designed to further our understanding of genealogy, anthropology, cultures, human evolution and migration, human genetics, population genetics, epidemiology, population health issues, and regional health issues.
Examples of research conducted in the past by MyHeritage under the Project include the development of Genetic Groups, refinement of Ethnicity Estimates, the development of new Polygenic Risk Scores, and other new features that became part of the DNA Services.
We will not: (1) conduct research on topics unrelated to the Project, or (2) use Personal Information for Research beyond what is described in this Informed Consent. Should we wish to increase the scope of the research, we will re-contact you to seek your specific consent.
MyHeritage may publish the results of some of the research conducted under the Project in scientific papers to benefit the community. Such results will be made available only on an aggregate basis and will not include any personal information about you.
C. How can I take part in the Project?
To participate in the Project, and after having read this Informed Consent and our Privacy Policy, tick the box indicating your consent to the processing activities conducted as part of the Project. This serves as expression of your explicit consent to the processing of special categories of personal information.
D. How can I withdraw my consent?
Participation in the Project is purely voluntary. You may withdraw your consent to our processing of your Personal Information for Research as part of the Project at any time. If you choose to withdraw your consent, you may do so by going to 'Settings' > 'My Privacy' > 'My DNA preferences', and uncheck the DNA kits in relation to which you wish to withdraw your consent. Upon your withdrawal, we will cease using your DNA Results. Please note that due to the de-identification of certain Personal Information for Research, any research or studies using anonymized or aggregate information that has 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.
E. Will MyHeritage transfer Personal Information for Research to other countries?
Information obtained through the Project will be stored in our secure databases in the United States. MyHeritage takes appropriate steps to ensure that transfers of personal information take place in accordance with applicable law and are carefully managed to protect your privacy rights and interests.
Accordingly, 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 European Economic Area country, we rely on the EU Commission standard contractual clauses. Contact us for more information about the safeguards we have in place.
F. How will MyHeritage and its affiliates protect Personal Information for Research?
We use a combination of physical, technical, and administrative procedures to protect the privacy and security of information. For example, we restrict access to our data center and databases by using industry standard physical and logical protocols, encrypted Internet connections to the Website, and all MyHeritage owned computer servers employ appropriate security controls. As Personal Information for Research is shared between and among us, it will be protected through the use of encryption.
Whenever Personal Information for Research from multiple individuals is aggregated, personal identifiers (such as names, birth dates and specific locations, etc.) from those participants will be removed.
Only specifically authorized individuals at MyHeritage have access to your genetic information and the Personal Information for Research.
G. Questions?
If you have any questions or concerns about how MyHeritage uses your Personal Information for Research or about the Project, please contact us using the details below.
Our Contact Details:
MyHeritage Ltd.
PO box 50, Terminal Park
Or Yehuda 6037606
Israel
Contact form: https://www.myheritage.com/contact-us
Email: privacy@myheritage.com
Other important information on your participation
A. What are the benefits of participating?
It is not anticipated that the Project will provide significant benefit to an individual participant, and Project results will not be communicated by MyHeritage to you should you choose to participate.
The research under the Project is conducted internally by the MyHeritage Science Team and the MyHeritage product and engineering teams. If fruits of the Project are published from time to time, this will assist academics and researchers to better understand the human species, learn or confirm certain facts and make predictions about future trends. Thus, the more Personal Information for Research is contributed to the Project, the better any potential results could be.
B. Are there any risks to participating?
Your DNA Results may reveal information about you or your biological family (blood relatives) that you did not know, and thus, it is not possible to predict all unintended consequences or risks. However, there is no physical risk to allowing your information to be processed as part of the 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 identification of an individual, such as a name or address, people may develop processes that would allow someone to re-identify the previously de-identified data. We apply a variety of controls to maintain the anonymity and integrity of our systems and to prevent such actions. However, as with other technological controls, there is no guarantee against unauthorized or nefarious actors.
While there may be additional risks to participation that are currently unforeseeable, MyHeritage will continually work to prevent negative impact to our individual participants.
C. Could my participation end without my consent?
Yes. We may terminate the Project at any time and in our discretion, without your consent.
D. What are the costs and will I receive compensation?
MyHeritage will not charge participants any fees in order to be part of the Project and there will be no financial compensation paid to Project participants. It is not anticipated that the Project will provide significantly benefit to an individual participant, and Project results will not be communicated by MyHeritage to you should you choose to participate.