The MyHeritage DNA Research Project (the "Project") is a program designed by MyHeritage to better understand human genetics and genealogy. The Project is conducted solely within MyHeritage by its own Science and R&D teams, to improve MyHeritage's own products and services, and does not involve sharing genetic information or any other personal information with other entities, such as universities or pharmaceutical companies.

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 Project.

We reserve the right to refuse your participation in the Project if applicable laws prohibit it. We process personal information about DNA Users to conduct the Project. We do so on the basis of your explicit consent through agreement to this Informed Consent.

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HERE ("INFORMED 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.

If you have any questions, please contact us at https://www.myheritage.com/contact-us.

Minors

If you are the parent or guardian of a minor who may wish to participate in the Project, you should talk with the minor and go over the information in this Informed Consent with him/her before you and them decide to participate in the Project.

What Personal Information Do We Process?

The Project collects, preserves and analyzes your demographic information (namely age and gender), genetic information, family tree information, historical records, photographs, 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").
We also process your contact details to invite you to complete questionnaires.

How Do We Use Your Personal Information in the Context of the Project and What Is Our Legal Basis?

We will process the Personal Information for Research to conduct research studies designed to further our understanding of genealogy and genetics, anthropology, cultures, human evolution and migration, 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. If we wish to increase the scope of the research, we will contact you again to seek your specific consent.

We 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 and deidentified basis and will not include any personal information about you.

We rely on the following legal bases for the processing of your personal information in the context of the Project:

• Our legitimate interest to conduct scientific research; and
• Your explicit consent for special categories of personal data.

How Can I Take Part in the Project?

To participate in the Project, and after having read this Informed 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 Informed Consent and click the button to give your consent to participate in the Project. 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 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. 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 cease using your Personal Information for Research. Please note that due to the deidentification of certain Personal Information for Research, 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 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.

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. You may ask for more information about the safeguards we have in place.

How Will We Protect Your Personal Information?

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 MyHeritage website, and all MyHeritage-owned computer servers employ appropriate security controls. MyHeritage protects genetic information using 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 is removed. Only specifically authorized individuals at MyHeritage have access to your genetic information and the Personal Information for Research.

Our Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns about how we use your personal information for this Project or about the 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 regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of your genetic information. 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?

It is not anticipated that the Project will provide significant benefit to an individual participant, and Project results will not be communicated by us to you should you choose to participate. The research under the Project is conducted internally by the MyHeritage's Science and R&D 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.

Are there any risks to participating?

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 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. 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, we will continually work to prevent negative impact to the individual participants of the Project.

Could my Participation End Without my Consent?

Yes. We may terminate the 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 Project and there will be no financial compensation paid to Project participants.