--- title: "Spotify Will Make a Playlist Based on Your DNA" description: "SONG OF MY PEOPLE Family tree database Ancestry announced this weekend that it's teaming up with music streaming service Spotify for an unusual offering. Provide the results of your AncestryDNA test, and Spotify will provide a \"mix of music, inspired by your origins,\" according to a press release. It's a cute idea. But handing over your..." date: "2018-09-25" modified: "2018-09-25" authors: - name: "Jon Christian" job_title: "Executive Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jonc" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/spotify-playlist-dna" categories: - "DNA" - "Genetics" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "ancestry" - "dna" - "genetic testing" - "spotify" - "the digest" --- # Spotify Will Make a Playlist Based on Your DNA ![Default Futurism featured image]() ## SONG OF MY PEOPLE Family tree database Ancestry announced this weekend that it's teaming up with music streaming service Spotify for an unusual offering. Provide the results of your AncestryDNA test, and Spotify will provide a "mix of music, inspired by your origins," according to a [press release](). It's a cute idea. But handing over your genetic information for a non-medical reason is pretty darn sketchy. ## IN MY GENES I admit, I'm not a big fan of Ancestry's. The site once [deleted about a decade]() of my family's correspondence — along with many other families' data — when it shuttered an old product a few years ago. But, hey, don't listen to me. Listen to *SPIN* writer Rob Arcand, who [implored readers]() not to give up their genetic data for the promotion. He cited a [*ThinkProgress* investigation]() that found that Ancestry's terms of service stipulate that the company claims ownership to customers' DNA in perpetuity. The privacy concerns with DNA kits like Ancestry or 23andMe aren't theoretical. Earlier this year, police caught a serial killer who was active in the 1970s and 80s (a good thing) by plugging his DNA into [genealogical sites like Ancestry]() (which many [saw as setting a dangerous precedent]()). Worse yet, the results just don't seem to be worth it. *Jezebel* writer Ashley Reese [tried the playlist feature out]() and found most of the results to be dull and generic. "Protecting our customers’ privacy is Ancestry’s highest priority," said Ancestry spokesperson Gina Spatafore in a statement to Futurism. "Spotify does not have access to DNA data of any Ancestry customers. Customers can manually input regions, into the playlist generator on Spotify and then a custom playlist is created with songs by artists from the various regions and across a wide variety of musical genres. All information is manually input by customers and the experience is completely optional." ## HERITAGE There's also the question of whether what it means to trust a tech company like Spotify to recommend songs based on people's genetic origins, which online observers worried could be culturally ham-fisted. https://twitter.com/blogavelli/status/1044243862460485634 https://twitter.com/jack_hamilton/status/1044259853932396544 The bottom line: Society is still working out the norms or laws around what companies can do with your DNA — so for now, maybe you should hold off on sharing yours. **READ MORE:** If you could listen to your DNA, what would it sound like? \[[Ancestry]()\] ***More on paralysis: [Some Genetic Tests Apparently Can’t Tell If You’re Dog Or Human]()*** ## Author I'm responsible for editing, assigning, and scouting at Futurism, as well as occasionally writing for the site. That work involves keeping an eye on a wide range of narratives and issues, but over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in how AI is shaping the future of media, the web, and information itself. My day-to-day often involves collaborating on reporting and commentary projects bylined by my colleagues, but I try to find time to do my own reporting as well; stories I've broken for Futurism have been cited by publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, Wired, Ars Technica, New York Magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, Bloomberg, and more. I grew up in Southern Vermont and attended Vanderbilt University. Prior to Futurism, I contributed to outlets including the Boston Globe, Vice, Wired, Slate, the Atlantic, the Outline, Ars Technica and more, and did stints in farming and food service. I currently live in Brooklyn, New York, and in my free time I enjoy pinball, word games, cycling, running, and music production. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()