An international consideration of a standards-based approach to forensic genetic genealogy

Forensic genetic genealogy has moved into limited operational use in the United States, and received international attention following the arrest of a suspect alleged to be the notorious ‘Golden State Killer’. The interest in this emerging area has seen the development of online courses to train investigators to pursue forensic genetic genealogy leads and the emergence of service providers marketing directly to law enforcement. Forensic genetic genealogy is an intelligence capability and can draw on existing intelligence doctrine. The power of genetic genealogy requires consideration of relevant standards, national or international. The development of these standards requires close consideration of public trust and privacy issues, including the application of the General Data Protection Regulation in Europe and constitutional issues in countries such as the United States. It also requires a consideration of potential regulatory mechanisms and options.