GEDmatch - Are You In or Out? - Tue, 10 Dec 2019

It’s already day-old news. GEDmatch has been purchased by Verogen.

Less than 24 hours and the alarmist headlines regarding @VerogenBio and #GEDmatch are already driving me nuts

— Cairenn (@cairennoid) December 10, 2019

For some of the reporting on this, see the following news posts:

• A Controversial DNA Database Used to Solve Crimes Has Gone Commercial by Ed Cara on Gizmodo
• DNA site GEDmatch sold to firm helping US police solve crime by Adam Vaughan on NewScientist
• A DNA Firm That Caters to Police Just Bought a Genealogy Site by Megan Molteni on Wired
• Genetic database that identified Golden State Killer acquired by crime scene DNA company by Nicole Wetsman on The Verge
• The Genealogy Website That Helped Crack The Golden State Killer Case Has Been Bought By A Forensic Genetics Firm by Peter Aldhous on BuzzFeed News
• Genealogy Site GEDMatch Is Now Owned by a Forensics Company on by Beth Skwarecki on lifehacker
• GEDmatch Sold, Will Serve as ‘Molecular Witness’ for Police by TCR Staff on The Crime Report
• Forensic Genomics Firm Verogen Acquires Genealogy Website GEDmatch by staff reporter on genomeweb

For some of the details and opinions of expert genealogists and genetic genealogists, see the following blog posts:

• GEDmatch has been acquired by the forensic genomics company Verogen by Debbie Kennett on Cruwys news
• GEDmatch Sells by Leah Larkin on The DNA Geek
• GEDmatch Acquired by Verogen by Roberta Estes on DNAeXplained
• GEDmatch, the Controversial Genealogy Website that Helped Crack the Golden State Killer Case, has been Bought by a Forensic Genetics Firm by Dick Eastman on Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter
• Verogen purchases GEDMatch by James Tanner on Genealogy’s Star
• GEDmatch acquired by forensic firm by Judy Russell on The Legal Genealogist

Because of the new confirm acceptance requirements, and more stringent re-opt-in requirements for European residents, the number of matches available is going down for police searches.

Since yesterday’s acquisition by Verogen, it looks like GEDmatch has lost nearly 12k of the 200k or so kits opted in for police searches. https://t.co/DNo7K0xDl7

— Megan Molteni (@MeganMolteni) December 10, 2019

But not just for police searches. For everyone’s searches.

One month ago, on November 5th, my 3000th closest match at GEDmatch shared 30.5 cM with me. Today my 3000th closest match shares 27.9 cM.  I have 699 matches at GEDmatch sharing from 27.9 cM to 30.4 cM. That means I have lost 23% of my matches at GEDmatch.  You likely also have as well.

I’m definitely staying. What are you going to do?

In light of recent news regarding Gedmatch & Verogen, I’m undecided.#Genealogy #DNA #Genetics
Are you:

— Genealogy Stories (@geneastories) December 10, 2019