Should DNA from databases be used to solve crimes?

More than 1 in 5 Americans have taken a mail-in DNA test from sites like 23andMe or Ancestry.com. And millions have used online tools that compare these test results to potentially find unknown relatives around the world. Though they're not the only ones – police are starting to use these genealogy databases, too.

🧬👮 Case in point: According to multiple sources, the 28-year-old suspect arrested last Friday and charged with murdering four University of Idaho students in November was identified after authorities ran DNA found at the crime scene through a public genealogy database called GEDmatch.

And that’s just one example. In recent years, authorities across America have used public DNA databases to solve the 60-year-old murder of a Girl Scout in Colorado, to clear a 1975 stabbing in Pennsylvania, and – perhaps most famously – to identify and capture the serial killer/rapist known as the “Golden State Killer.”

✋ Yes, but… The practice has drawn criticism from privacy advocates and some lawmakers, who argue police shouldn’t have open access to sensitive personal genetic data (which can be used to identify relatives who never submitted their own DNA).

📊 Big picture: Like a banana on Curious George’s favorite ice cream treat, public sentiment about whether or not DNA test results should be shared with law enforcement is split. Roughly half of America say it’s acceptable (48%), about one-third say it’s unacceptable, and 18% are unsure, according to a Pew Research survey.