Alarm bells are ringing in
Northern Europe, over the Estonian
government’s latest attempt to take a massive number of genetic
samples from its citizens.
Science, technology,
and a government have usually been the perfect trifecta in every dystopian
sci-fi thriller, as elected/unelected officials tend to gravitate towards
all-seeing, all-knowing and all-powerful — over the mindless masses who
unknowingly surrender their freedoms for comfort.
This seems
to already be the case in the tiny former Soviet nation of Estonia, as its
leaders have pushed for all things digital. The government has made it a top
priority to embrace blockchain technology, provide internet access to all, and
embark on the complete digitization of its citizens on one large platform — all
owned by the government. So, it comes as no surprise, when the Estonian
government has been quick to move in the creation of a biological database that
collects DNA sequences of its citizen. Through mass surveillance
programs, Estonian government will not only know what their citizens are
searching on the internet, but will also have the knowledge of personal genetic
information: ancestry charts, genetic composition, health history, and anything
else that can be extracted from an Estonian’s double helix. So much
knowledge in one organization is absolutely terrifying.
Starting
immediately, the Estonian government will publicly launch the program to
recruit and genotype 100,000 residents of the country as part of its National
Personalized Medicine campaign. In the first run, the government projects an
eight percent DNA grab of its total population. If successful, all indications
are pointing to more massive grabs, as government officials are racing to
construct its national DNA database.
The genetic
testing initiative is a joint development program of the Ministry of Social
Affairs, the National Institute for Health Development and the Estonian Genome
Center of the University of Tartu, which currently maintains the
nation’s DNA database of around 50,000 citizens.
(Link to website for chart)
In return
for the precious genetic information, the Estonian government will
offer citizens personalized health information that could prevent future
illnesses. Each participant will receive a personalized genetic report,
which offers lifestyle and health advice based on genetics. The reports can only be
accessed on the government’s national e-health portal.
“The government wants to
develop its healthcare system by offering all its residents genome-wide
genotyping that will be translated into personalized reports for use in
everyday medical practice through the national e-health portal. The country has many
encrypted digital solutions incorporated into government functions that link
the nation’s various databases through end-to-end encrypted pathways.”
“Today we have enough knowledge
about both the genetic risk of complex diseases and the interindividual
variability of the effects of medicines in order to start using this
information systematically in everyday healthcare,” said Jevgeni Ossinovski,
Minister of Health and Labour. “In cooperation with the National Institute for
Health Development and the University of Tartu, we will enable another 100,000
people to join the Estonian biobank, in order to boost the development of
personalized medicine in Estonia and thus contribute to the advancement of
preventive healthcare.”
According
to Estonian Genome Center of the University of Tartu, the Estonian
Government has “allocated 5 million euros for the initiative during 2018.”
“The
project will be coordinated by the National Institute for Health Development,
whose task is to develop and implement procedures and principles for the
effective implementation of scientific research in medicinal practice.”
Paula
Dowdy, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Illumina, Europe, Middle
East, and Africa said:
“As the
technology provider for the Estonian Genome Center, Illumina is delighted that
this ambitious project has reached this stage. Using our InfiniumTM Global
Screening Array to further develop personalized medicine in Estonia will
provide physicians with genomic information that will lead to better health
outcomes in the future.”
Andres
Metspalu, Director of the Estonian Genome Center at the University of Tartu,
embraces the genetic initiative to triple the size of its national DNA
database.
“We are
glad that with the support of this project the results of the long-term work of
the Genome Center will be transferred into practical medicine, and it will also
give a further boost for our future research. The university will also
contribute to the creation of a feedback system for the biobank participants,
and to training healthcare professionals to give patients feedback based on
genetic information.”
As it now stands, the Estonian
government publicly launched the first phase of a massive DNA grab that aims to
acquire genetic information from 8 percent of the total population. While it is still
unknown why the government is suddenly rushing to triple the size of its
DNA database, there is a risk that future DNA grabs could become mandatory. All
of Europe should be watching the developments currently unfolding
in Estonia because government DNA grabs could be coming to a region near
you.