DNA from people in the UK may be being tested without their consent, despite a pioneering law that came into force more than two years ago expressly forbidding the practice.
New Scientist approached genetic testing firms as a prospective UK customer, enquiring about running tests on DNA from stained bedding and other items. The responses raise serious concerns about some of the companies' understanding of the law, and about the difficulty of policing tests that are sold online to customers in the UK but conducted outside the country.