We have temporarily disabled some features within the DNA Relatives tool as an additional precaution to protect your privacy. Read more here.
The DNA Relatives feature is a 23andMe feature that allows you to find and connect with other DNA Relative participants, and to learn more about your family story. This feature is optional; other 23andMe users will not be able to see you as a match unless you opt in to the feature. Likewise, you will not be able to view your matches in DNA Relatives unless you consent to participate.
If you choose to participate in the DNA Relatives feature, you have multiple privacy options to suit your individual preferences. For complete privacy, you can opt out of DNA Relatives entirely.
You can update any of your preferences at any time from the “Manage Preferences” link in the DNA Relatives feature and in your Account Settings under the Privacy/Sharing section.
Participation in DNA Relatives
If you choose to opt in and participate in DNA Relatives, other DNA Relatives participants will be able to view the following information about you:
Your DNA Relatives display name
How recently you logged into your account
Your relationship labels (masculine, feminine, neutral)
Your predicted relationship and percentage of DNA shared with your matches
Your ancestry reports and matching DNA segments (optional)
Your location (optional)
Ancestor birth locations and family names (optional)
Your profile picture (optional)
Your birth year (optional)
A link to your Family Tree (optional)
Anything you have added to the “Introduce yourself!” Section (optional)
Additionally, any family information you enter into your DNA Relatives profile, such as family names or where your ancestors were born, will be shown when a match clicks on your profile.
It is important to note that each user participating in DNA Relatives has the option to download a file containing their list of DNA Relatives, including display names, and predicted relationships, as well as any additional information the match has chosen to share through the "enhance your profile" step.
Your display name
Your display name is how your profile name will appear to genetic relatives and other participants. You can choose to participate using your name, your initials, or a combination of the two.
You can also choose if you would like to have masculine, feminine, or gender neutral predicted relationship labels (e.g., brother, sister, sibling) shown to your DNA relatives.
Genetic Ancestry Results and the Location of Shared DNA Segments
Showing your genetic ancestry results makes select information available to your matches in DNA Relatives without an individual request to share reports. This information includes all of your ancestry reports (e.g., your Ancestry Composition results, the Maternal and Paternal Haplogroup results, and your Neanderthal Ancestry results). As new ancestry reports are added, your profile will update.
Choosing this option also makes the location of your shared DNA segments available to your matches in a chromosome diagram that includes the X chromosome(s). Please note that sharing this information may reveal your genetic sex by showing segments on one or multiple copies of the X chromosome.
Opting out of DNA Relatives
If you would like to stop participating in DNA Relatives, you may opt out of the feature by selecting the Manage Preferences option within DNA Relatives or from your Account Settings page. If you opt out, you will not appear in other people's DNA Relatives results, and your profile will not be able to access DNA Relatives to view or contact relatives. However, you may change your mind and opt in again at any time.