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IPFS News Link • Privacy Rights

'Your Genome Isn't Really Secret,' Says Google Ventures's Bill Maris

• http://www.bloomberg.com

Bill Maris has a simple proposition for those who are a little freaked out by his efforts to digitize human DNA: "If we each keep our genetic information secret, then we're all going to die." OK then.

The Google Ventures managing partner has shifted the firm's focus this year to investing in companies that aim to slow aging, reverse disease, and extend life. Many of those life-sciences companies do this by collecting customers' genetic information and looking for trends.

Hoarding this kind of personal data introduces risks, particularly as hacking becomes an everyday occurrence. But Maris dismissed privacy concerns surrounding the prospect of genomic data becoming public. "What are you worried about?" he said at a Wall Street Journal technology conference in Laguna Beach, Calif., on Tuesday. "Your genome isn't really secret."


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