Anyone know if this is true?

[JBee]

Just saw a message on a forum that says

Ancestry.com is up for sale!!!

Has anyone else heard this? What would be the implications?????

[Olde Crone]

No, haven't heard this and it seems unlikly but who knows.

The implications are what they have always been - you do not know what the new owner may do with any data you have input to the site. For most of us this doesn't matter much but I have always personally had concerns with the DNA testing side of things.

I would think the day to day running would go on just the same. The value of the site is that of high usage by amateur genealogists so I cannot see any change there.

OC

[Just Gillian]

Googled and found this from Reuters on 20th May -

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/21/us-ancestry-m-a-exclusive-idUSKBN0O52UE20150521

I was amazed by the huge jump in subscription revenues -

"subscription revenues have grown to $553.8 million last year from $334.6 million in 2012."

[kiterunner]

It's not very long since the last time it was sold, and I think the last buyers were just investors of some kind, so I wouldn't be surprised if they sold it on.

[HarrysMum]

They are just about to get their medical approval for the DNA testing as well.

At the moment all they can do is give you the raw data. You then have to put tat into another site to get the medical info. 23&Me have just about got approval.

That could be worth a fair bit as there are lots of people, me included, who need that. I have a mutant MTHFR gene, but that is a blood test will tell. The genetic testing gives you all the info about it......SNPs they are..

[Olde Crone]

Libby

Here in the UK if you have a DNA test (for medical purposes) you have to declare the results to any life insurance company and to various other bodies who may ask if you have a serious medical condition. Does that apply in Australia too?

OC

[HarrysMum]

Well, OC........I have no idea, but considering 40% of the population has the mutant gene I have, I expect they would know.

The issue (healthwise) isn't the gene as such, but what they call SNPs. A good few who have that gene C677T cannot take Folic Acid. It turns to poison. They can only have Folate. Not sure about in UK, but here we throw Folic Acid (because it's cheaper) into all our bread, flour, etc. It's causing a huge problem because pregnant women are told to have it to stop neural tube defects in babies, but if they belong to the group with this gene, it causes miscarriages....