GEDmatch
From ISOGG Wiki
Type | Inc |
---|---|
Industry | Genetic genealogy |
Founded | 2010 |
Founder(s) | Curtis Rogers, John Olson |
Headquarters | San Diego, CA, USA |
Area served | International |
Products | Autosomal DNA (Matching, Admixture) |
Website | gedmatch.com |
GEDmatch is a third-party tools online service to compare autosomal DNA data files from different testing companies and to compare Gedcom files with a free account creation. A number of additional tools are provided (Tier1 tools) for $10 per month.
As of December 9, 2019, GEDmatch was acquired by Verogen, Inc, a sequencing company solely dedicated to forensic science.[1][2] For the 1.2 million DNA profiles a new version of the existing site will focus on solving crimes.[3] How much GEDmatch will continue to serve genetic genealogical research has been heavily discussed since then.[4] BuzzFeed News reported that Verogen hopes to monetise the site by charging for access to the database and tools for DNA analysis.[5] Founder Curtis Rogers in a website statement announced that "basic tools will remain free", he will remain involved in all aspects of the business and Verogen will commit to the vision of a consumer genealogy site, take care of infrastructure and security/privacy. At the same time Rogers claims "genealogy has made our communities safer by putting violent criminals behind bars".[6] Verogen announced in September 2020 plans a new law enforcement portal to be known as GEDmatch Pro which is to be used exclusively for forensic cases.[7] The GEDmatch Pro site went live at the end of December 2020. In January 2021 the GEDmatch site policy was changed and the entire database was opted in to law enforcement matching for unidentified human remains.[8] This change coincided with a data breach which restored deleted kits from European Union users to the database.[9]
Contents
History
GEDmatch was founded by Curtis Rogers and John Olson in 2010 as an outgrowth of the Rogers surname DNA project.[10].
GEDmatch without the userbase consent has made controversial decisions regarding access of law enforcement to the user data since 2018, later actively urging users to opt-in to such access. [11]
In July 2020 there was a security breach at GEDmatch which over-rode users' preferences. For a brief period all kits, including research kits and law enforcement kits, were included in the public matching database.[12][13]
Services
- Register (Name, email, Password) https://app.gedmatch.com/register.php
- Upload DNA (GEDmatch Raw DNA Upload Utility: Ancestry, 23andme, MyHeritage, Family Tree DNA) https://app.gedmatch.com/dnaupload/
- Free Tools: One-To-Many - Limited Version, One-To-Many - Original Version, Relationship Probability, One-To-One Autosomal, One-To-One X, Admixture (heritage), Admixture / Oracle, Match Both or 1 of 2, DNA File Diagnostics, Are Your Parents Related?, 3D Chromosome Browser, Archaic DNA Matches, Ancestor Projects
- Admixture Utilities: MDLP Project, Eurogenes (K13, EUtest V2 K15, ANE K7, K9b, K9, K10, K11, K12, K12b, K36, Hunter_Gatherer vs. Farmer, Jtest, EUtest), Dodecad, HarappaWorld, Ethiohelix, puntDNAL, GedrosiaDNA
- Process Options: Admixture Proportions (With link to Oracle); Admixture Proportions by Chromosome; Chromosome Painting; Chromosome Painting - Reduced Size; Paint differences between 2 kits, 1 chromosome; Paint differences between 2 kits, 22 chromosomes, reduced size
- Gedmatch Forums https://forums.gedmatch.com/BB/index.php
- Family Trees: Upload GEDCOM (Fast), Upload GEDCOM (Alternate)
- Genealogy Comparisons / Searches: 1 GEDCOM to all, 2 GEDCOMs Comparison, Search all GEDCOMs, GEDCOM + DNA matches, Find GEDCOMs by Kit
Blog posts and articles
- Genetic Genealogy using GEDmatch: an absolute beginners guide by Jared Smith.
- Interview with Brett Williams, CEO of Verogen. Forensic Genomics 2021; 1 (2), published online 15 June 2021.
- GEDmatch acquired by forensic firm by Judy G. Russell, The Legal Genealogist, 10 December 2019
- Cold-case murders, rapes cracked by Lake Worth genealogy website by Jorge Milian, The Palm Beach Post, 29 November 2018. (Retrieved from Internet Archive, 5 December 2018.)
- How an unlikely family history website transformed cold case investigations by Heather Murphy, The New York Times, 15 October 2018.
- An interview with Curtis Rogers; the man with the idea that sparked GEDmatch by Barbara Shoff, The Blundering DNA Genealogist, 5 July 2018.
- Updates to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy at GEDmatch by Debbie Kennett, Cruwys News, 21 May 2018.
- How a tiny website became the police's go-to genealogy database by Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 1 June 2018.
- DNA website had unwitting role in Golden State manhunt by Kirsten Brown, Bloomberg News, 29 May 2018.
- Protecting your privacy on GEDmatch by David Moberly. The Handwritten Past, 5 May 2018.
- Genesis from GEDmatch: the new chip by Kitty cooper, Kitty Cooper's Blog, 15 December 2017.
- DNA leap forward - GEDmatch leads the way Family Tree Magazine (UK) blog, 22 September 2017.
- Getting started with GEDmatch by Jim Bartlett, ' Segmentology, 19 September 2017.
- Finally! A GEDmatch admixture guide. Genealogical Musings, 6 April 2017.
- Uploading to GEDmatch by Jim Bartlett, Segmentology, 19 January 2017.
- Getting started with GEDmatch by Donna Rutherford, 26 December 2016.
- Tips for using GEDmatch by Louise Coakley, Genie1 blog, 29 January 2016; updated 2021.
- DNA begging letter. Roots Revealed, 26 May 2015. Explains reasons for uploading your results to GedMatch and how to do so.
- Finally GedMatch announces a monetization strategy (and a way to raise the dead) by Blaine Bettinger. The Genetic Genealogist blog, 20 October 2014.
- New utilities at GedMatch: Tier 1 for paid members by Kitty Cooper, Kitty Cooper's blog, 20 October 2014.
- My first look at GedMatch autosomal DNA analysis by Randy Seaver. Genea-Musings blog, 4 August 2014.
- Introduction to using GedMatch by Dan Stone, Adventures in Genealogy Research: No Stone Unturned, article last updated 18 October 2014
- Gedmatch: a DNA geek's dream website by Judy Russell, The Legal Genealogist blog, 12 August 2012.
Resources
- GedMatch Utilities Manual by Kitty Cooper and Barton Lewis. Kitty Cooper's blog
Official websites
- GEDmatch
- GEDmatch Pro
- GEDmatch updates
- Verogen
- GEDmatch Facebook page
- GEDMatch.com User Group on Facebook
- Verogen's Facebook page
- Verogen on Twitter
See also
- Autosomal DNA tools
- Wikipedia page on GEDmatch - includes a list of cold cases solved through GEDmatch
References
- ↑ Bala N. We're entering a new phase in law enforcement's use of genetic data Slate, 19 December 2019.
- ↑ O'Brien M. Who owns Verogen? (Quick facts). Data Mining DNA, 17 April 2021.
- ↑ Brett Williams, Verogen’s CEO statement, The Crime Report, 2019-12-10, thecrimereport.org/2019/12/10/gedmatch-sold-will-serve-as-molecular-witness-for-police/
- ↑ Judy G. Russell, “GEDmatch acquired by forensic firm,” The Legal Genealogist, 2019-12-10 legalgenealogist.com/2019/12/10/gedmatch-acquired-by-forensic-firm
- ↑ New Scientist, DNA site GEDmatch sold to firm helping US police solve crime, 2019-12-10, newscientist.com/article/2226791-dna-site-gedmatch-sold-to-firm-helping-us-police-solve-crime/
- ↑ Curtis Rogers, December 2019, www.gedmatch.com/curt_msg.htm
- ↑ Kumar S. GEDmatch: a platform for data driven forensic intelligence. The ISHI Report, published online November 2020.
- ↑ DNA Doe Project Facebook post 11 January 2021.
- ↑ Mullin E. 'Deleted' DNA data just reappeared on a popular database. Future Human, 22 January 2021.
- ↑ Curtis Rogers, December 2019, www.gedmatch.com/curt_msg.htm
- ↑ www.legalgenealogist.com/2019/05/15/withdrawing-a-recommendation/
- ↑ Aldhous P. A security breach exposed more than one million DNA profiles on a major genealogy database. Buzzfeed News 22 July 2020.
- ↑ Murphy H. Why a data breach at a genealogy site has privacy experts worried. New York Times 1 August 2020.