The Genographic Project® Geno 2.0 Next Generation Helix Product Privacy Policy

Effective July 1st, 2020

This policy has been updated to reflect new contact information. Please note that National Geographic stopped selling Geno kits on May 31, 2019 and is no longer processing results. Please see the FAQ page for more information.

Effective November 21st, 2016

The Genographic Project began in 2005 and is a research project carried out by the National Geographic Society’s scientific team to reveal patterns of human migration. The project is carried out in partnership with National Geographic Partners, LLC, whose activities include managing the sale of the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product and operation of the genographic.com website. National Geographic Partners, LLC is a joint venture of the National Geographic Society and 21st Century Fox. Throughout this document, the terms “National Geographic,” “we” or “our” or “us” refer to National Geographic Society and National Geographic Partners, LLC collectively.

This Privacy Policy describes how we use, share and protect the information we receive from and about you when you use the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product and what choices you have about how that information is used. As discussed below in the section entitled Treatment of Non-Genetic Personal Information, information that is not what we define as Genographic Genetic Information or Self-Reported Information, including information we collect from and about you when you visit our other websites or purchase the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product, is governed by the privacy policy posted on the website or app on which that information is collected.

Information We Collect From and About You

When you purchase the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product, you will receive a saliva collection kit from our partner Helix, who handles sample collection, DNA sequencing and secure data storage for the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product. When you return your saliva sample to Helix, Helix will sequence your DNA as described in the Helix Platform Consent and Helix Terms of Service. That sequence is your “Genetic Information.” Helix will share with National Geographic the portion of your Genetic Information needed by National Geographic to provide you with your deep ancestry insights (we’re calling this your “Genographic Genetic Information”).

You must be 18 or older to use the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product.

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Getting Your Results

To use the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product, you must give consent to Helix for Helix to share the portion of your Genetic Information needed by National Geographic to provide you with your Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product deep ancestry insights results. By agreeing to the Helix Platform Consent, you will authorize Helix to share this information. You must also register on the Genographic website at www.genographic.com.

When your results are available, you will be notified via the email address you provided when you registered on the Helix website or, if you have already registered with Genographic.com, you will be notified via the email address you have on record with genographic.com. At that point, you may view your results through your account at www.genographic.com. This process may take approximately six to twelve weeks from the time you mail your saliva sample to the Helix lab. (Please note that in some cases, inconclusive data may occasionally require additional testing and might delay posting of results by two to three additional weeks.)

How National Geographic Uses Your Information

Providing You With Deep Ancestry Insights
National Geographic’s analysis of your Genographic Genetic Information will produce your deep ancestry insights. Deep ancestry is your ancestry from hundreds or even thousands of years ago. It’s based on the paths your ancient ancestors took to migrate around the world. As noted above, we’re calling these results your Genographic Genetic Information.

Treatment of Non-Genetic Personal Information
Information we collect from and about you when you visit National Geographic’s other websites or purchase the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product or other products, such as your full name, email address, mailing address, or consumer product preferences, is “Non-Genetic Personal Information.” Non-Genetic Personal Information does not include Genographic Genetic Information. National Geographic’s treatment of Non-Genetic Personal Information is governed by the privacy policy posted on the National Geographic website or app on which the information is collected, and not this privacy policy, which applies only to the Genographic Genetic Information as that term is used herein and any email address you provided to participate in the Genographic program.

Improving the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product
National Geographic is dedicated to providing current, reliable, and high-quality experiences. We will use the information you give us for quality control and to improve the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product and Genographic website. Some of these improvements may focus on how we analyze your Genographic Genetic Information. Some may focus on how we store and send your Genographic Genetic Information. Some of these improvements may focus on how easy it is to use the Genographic website. All information used for quality control will be used only within National Geographic.

Storing and Sharing Your Information

Genographic Genetic Information

National Geographic Society will store your Genographic Genetic Information and any email address you provided to participate in the Genographic program in our DNA Analysis Repository. The DNA Analysis Repository is a central database that manages DNA data from around the world for the Genographic Project.

National Geographic Society may provide access to the Genographic Genetic Information to third parties that provide services necessary for the functionality of the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product. This may include services to improve the interpretation of the Genographic Genetic Information to provide ancestry-related results. National Geographic Society will not use the Genographic Genetic Information for scientific research or share it or your email address with third parties for scientific research without your separate, express consent.

National Geographic Society will keep your Genographic Genetic Information until you ask us to destroy it. You can ask us to do so by sending an email to genographic@ngs.org. If you still want access to your results, you must print or copy them. Once we destroy your information, you will not be able to access your results from National Geographic again.

Please note that requesting National Geographic Society to destroy your Genographic Genetic Information affects only the information we hold. If you would like Helix to destroy any information they hold or to close your Helix account, you must make a separate request to Helix.

National Geographic Society may disclose your Genographic Genetic Information and any email address you provided to participate in the Genographic program in response to legal process and when we believe that doing so is required by law, may be necessary to protect any person’s property, rights, or safety, or to investigate a potential violation of law.

Choosing to take part in research
When you log onto the Genographic website to access your results, you may be given the opportunity to consent to participate in a major global research effort by National Geographic Society to collect population genetic data from hundreds of thousands of individuals from around the world. If you agree to contribute your results to this effort, your Genographic Genetic Information will be made available to National Geographic Society-affiliated and third party researchers for research purposes. If you agree to contribute your results to this scientific research effort, National Geographic may ask you to provide Self-Reported Information in the My Profile section of the Genographic website. Self-Reported Information is other details about you that you choose to supply to National Geographic. This may include details about your family tree. Participation in the research and whether you provide any Self-Reported Information to National Geographic is your choice and is not necessary in order to access your individual test results.

Security

We take a number of commercially reasonable administrative, technical, personnel and physical steps to safeguard information in our possession from loss, theft and unauthorized use, disclosure or modification. However, no method of transmitting or storing electronic data is ever completely secure, and therefore we cannot warrant or guarantee that such information will never be accessed, used or released in a manner that is inconsistent with this privacy policy.

Questions

If you have any questions concerning the Geno 2.0 Next Gen Helix Product, your rights or the procedures involved, please visit www.genographic.com.
You may contact a customer service representative at:

Email: nationalgeographic@shopdisney.com