Privacy Document – Gene by Gene, Ltd.

Gene by Gene, Ltd (“Gene by Gene”) is in the business of providing DNA tests for genealogy, ancestry, medical, research and paternity. This document has the purpose of informing about the privacy of your record, information and test results.

Gene by Gene owns and runs its own lab, the Genomics Research Center in Houston, TX.

In addition, Gene by Gene owns and operates the websites GenebyGene.com, DNATraits.com, FamilyTreeDNA.com, DNAFindings.com and DNADTC.com. Gene by Gene respects your privacy and will not sell or rent your record, information or test results without consent.

Please read this Gene by Gene Privacy Document and corresponding FAQs for additional details.

By using the Gene by Gene websites and the services herein you consent to the collection, use, storage and disclosure of your personal information by Gene by Gene in accordance with this Privacy Document. It should be read in conjunction with the Gene by Gene Terms of Use and Gene by Gene Consent Agreement.

We use your record, information or test results to provide you with Gene by Gene services, customized reports and features. Customers of the different services provided by any GeneByGene are offered to sign a Consent Form specific to each service which allows them to take full advantage of the services. In the absence of a specific Consent or Release Form, this Privacy Document will prevail.

If you have given consent to participate in any of the Gene by Gene services offered by any of the websites owned and operated by Gene by Gene as described in a specific consent document, we may have your record, information or test results disclosed to third parties for the purpose of publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. From time to time, we may ask for explicit consent to participate in a specific research, and upon this consent we may allow research contractors to access your test results, which will be kept anonymous, for the purpose of conducting scientific research. In addition to providing its customers with answers to their genetic related questions, Gene by Gene also aims at advancing genetic knowledge and creating, commercializing, or undertaking activities toward the practical applications that may lead to the improvement of health care. If you do not give your explicit consent to participate a specific research, Gene by Gene may still use your record, information or test results for purposes such as quality control or other R&D activities. Records, information or test results used for such purposes may be disclosed to third-party research partners who will not publish the information in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Research partners may include commercial or non-profit organizations that conduct or support population genetic studies, scientific/medical research or conduct or support the development of drugs or devices to diagnose, predict, or treat health conditions.

This document covers the collecting, processing, storing and sharing of personal information and we want to ensure that this is done in a responsible, transparent and secure environment that fosters our customer’s trust and confidence. Personal information is information that can be used to identify our customer, either alone or in combination with other information, and includes the results of tests.

When you provide us with any personal information, which includes your DNA sample, that personal information will be stored and processed at the Company’s Genomics Research Center in Houston, Texas. In the event that you are located outside the USA and still choose to order a DNA Test kit and provide a DNA sample, by providing us with personal information, you specifically consent to the transfer, storage and processing of personal information to and in the United States, which you recognize may provide a different level of protection for personal data than in your country of residence. Gene by Gene takes security of your personal information seriously and is totally transparent as to the use of your information. Unless you are a research organization, or medical institution for whom we provide tests and results according to the terms established between the Company and such party.

When you order an individual test online we primarily use your personal information to provide your test results, to verify and carry out financial transactions relating to payments you make online and to communicate with you.

Gene by Gene discloses your personal information to third parties in very limited circumstances as set out below.

1. a) To third party service providers, under the protection of appropriate agreements, so that the third parties may perform various tasks for us. For example, we use third parties to process payments from you. These third-parties are only given access to that information needed to perform their services, and are prohibited from using it for other purposes. Processors may include affiliated and unaffiliated service providers in in the United States, Europe and in other jurisdictions.
2. b) To the different Gene by Gene divisions, so that they may use personal information for the purposes described in this Privacy Document. Additionally, we might restructure, buy, or sell business units. In these transactions, customer information is often one of the transferred assets, remaining subject to promises made in then prevailing Privacy Documents. Also, in the event that Gene by Gene, or substantially all of its assets or stock are acquired, transferred, disposed of (in whole or part and including in connection with any bankruptcy or similar proceedings), personal information including test results will as a matter of course be one of the transferred assets;
3. c) We may disclose your personal information (i) with your knowledge and any relevant permissions (ii) as described in this statement, (iii) as may be required by law, regulatory authorities, legal process or to protect the rights or property of Gene by Gene or other Users (including outside your country of residence) (iv) to enforce our terms and conditions; (v) to protect our rights, privacy, safety, confidentiality, reputation or property, and/or that of Gene by Gene, you or others; (vi) to prevent fraud or cybercrime; and (vii) to permit us to pursue available remedies or limit the damages that we may sustain;

When you visit our Gene by Gene Website, we may automatically collect non-personal information about you, such as the website from which you have come to our Gene by Gene Website, your Media Access Control address, your computer type, screen resolution, Operating System version and Internet browser. We may also collect non-personal information such as demographic data, for example your geographic area. Non-personal information also includes personal information that has been aggregated in a manner such that the end-product does not personally identify you or any other user of the Gene by Gene Website.

Gene by Gene places great importance on the security of all personally identifiable information associated with our customers. We have reasonable and adequate security measures in place to attempt to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of member data under our control. For example our security and privacy practices are periodically reviewed and enhanced as necessary and only authorized personnel have access to personal information. We use secure server software to encrypt financial information you input before it is sent to us and we only work with laboratories and third parties who have met and commit to our security standard. While we cannot guarantee that loss, misuse or alteration of data will not occur however we use commercially reasonable efforts to prevent this.

If we decide to change our Privacy Document, we will issue an updated version of this Statement with an updated date (and/or notify you via e-mail or by other appropriate means) so that you will be aware of what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances we disclose it in accordance with applicable law. If you do not consent to any changes to our Privacy Document and as a result you would like us not to use or hold your information in accordance with the revised terms, you may notify us here so we can decide whether to continue to apply the previous statement or delete your information and/or account.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Document, the practices of the Gene by Gene Website, or your dealings with the Gene by Gene Website, or wish to request access to and receive information about the personal information we maintain about you, update and correct inaccuracies in your personal information, have the information blocked or deleted, as appropriate, or oppose (in case of legitimate reasons) the processing carried out with respect to your personal information (note please that the right to access personal information may be limited in some circumstances), you can contact us by either calling 1-713-868-1438 or emailing us at helpdesk@genebygene.com.