FAQ

How does DNALocker help me safely store my genome data file?

DNALocker is a service that makes it easy for you to encrypt your genome file using extremely strong AES encryption, and store it on a decentralized storage platform (DSP). We call DSP a DNALocker because it's a much friendlier, non-techy name. The DNALocker ID you receive is in fact the DSP address mapped directly to your file. Since you are the only human being to have the DNALocker ID for your encrypted file, it is completely anonymous on the DSP. Since only you have the passkey needed to decrypt your file, the encrypted data is completely secure. You or anyone you share your DNALocker ID and passkey with can 'open' the DNALocker at any time in the future and retrieve your original genome file. Anonymity is also a central benefit to keeping your data secure; who you share your DNALocker ID and passkey with is your secret. Third, DNALocker uses AES-256 encryption since it is trusted by the US government for its classified files as well as throughout the industry. Finally, the nature of storing data on a decentralized platform is just that: it's not stuck in any one place like at a single provider, a safe, hard drive or USB stick, all of which can be penetrated or destroyed.

Once I've stored my genome data in a DNALocker, how do I 'open' my DNALocker to retrieve the genome data file?

To retrieve the data in a DNALocker, you will need your DNALocker ID (which is the same as the DSP address), and the passkey you used to perform the original encryption in order to decrypt the genome file. You may use the DNALocker service as well to help you easily find and decrypt your genome data file. However, one of the nice features of the DNALocker is you are not dependent on the service. With a little technical knowledge of the decentralized storage platforms (DSPs) we use (InterPlanetary Filesystem, Ethereum Swarm), you can find your encrypted data using your DNALocker ID (so do not share your DNAlocker ID with anyone you do not trust). Likewise, with a little knowledge of how AES encryption works, you can use your passkey to decrypt your encrypted data (so do not share your passkey with anyone you do not trust). We think this is a great feature since the person you might want to open the locker may be a loved one or offspring many years in the distant future. At that future time, all they will need is the DNALocker ID and the passkey that you have made available to them, to access your genome file.

Does DNALocker store any of my personally identifiable data?

No. DNALocker stores NO personally identifiable data about you. Much like a cryptocurrency wallet app, it maintains your anonymity throughout the process. DNALocker is a service that makes it easy for you to encrypt and store your data in a DSP, but the service itself stores nothing that identifies you. Once your genome data file is encrypted using your passkey and uploaded to your DNALocker (on the DSP) and you have received the DNALocker ID, any temporary data used by the DNALocker service to complete the operation is immediately deleted. DNALocker IDs are addresses on the DSPs just like a Bitcoin Wallet address is public on the Bitcoin blockchain, but in both cases the identity of the owner of a blockchain address remains anonymous. Your payment information (for instance credit card information) is also NOT stored by DNALocker.

How do I get a copy of my genome data file?

First, get your DNA sequenced. This can be done for a fee by a variety of services like 23andme.com, Ancestry.com, and many others. Whichever you choose, read their service descriptions carefully to ensure that the DNA sequencing service you purchase gives you access to your DNA "raw data" file. This "raw data" file provided to you by a DNA sequencing service, usually in .txt. or .csv format, is what we refer to as your genome data file. Some DNA sequencing services give you the option to request that your raw data file be deleted once they provided you with their reports; it's a good idea to request your raw data file be deleted from the DNA sequencer's storage AFTER you have downloaded a copy for your own safe keeping.

What happens if I lose my DNALocker ID or passkey?

Nothing happens. Your genome data file is anonymously and safely encrypted, stored exactly where you left it on the DSP, possibly till the end of humanity. We recommend keeping your DNALocker ID and passkey in a safe place that you normally use to store important family records, such as a safety deposit box at a bank, and let trusted loved ones and executors know you have stored your genetic information in the event it is needed in the future. DNALocker does not keep any personally identifiable records, so if you lose your DNALocker ID and/or your passkey, we cannot 'recover' it since we do not store any of your information.

Can I 'open' my DNALocker more than once?

Yes. Your DNALocker is persistent. It lives on the decentralized storage platform (DSP), presumably forever. This means that it can be 'opened' as often as wished using the DNALocker ID and passkey to access the decrypted version of your genome data file. Many decades into the future, if your offspring (some of whom you may never meet) need to access your genome data file, they can access it using your DNALocker ID and passkey. The DNALocker service can be used to 'open' it, or by obtaining a little technical knowledge of our DSPs (InterPlanetary Filesystem, Ethereum Swarm) and the AES-256 CBC cipher.

Can I use my passkey for different DNALockers?

Yes. Your passkey strategy is your own. You choose the passkey (which must be 32 characters or longer) and use it to encrypt a genome data file each time you use the DNALocker service. So you can use the same passkey to encrypt multiple genome data files in to multiple DNALockers. While this may make it easier for you to remember, store, or transfer passkeys, it also presents a risk if the passkey is stolen, as more than one DNALocker will be exposed.

What is your privacy policy?

DNALocker believes your genetic data is the most private and confidential information that exists about you, so we go to great lengths to design our service in such a way that your anonymity and confidentiality are protected. We do not store your name, payment information, DNALocker ID, passkey, or genome file. We will never sell your information because we have no information in the first place.

Why did you choose AES for data encryption? Are there more modern algorithms to choose from?

AES-256 is the strongest of the ubiquitously used and thoroughly analyzed family of algorithms considered universally to be very secure. AES is a U.S. federal government standard and is approved by the National Security Agency (NSA) for top secret information. It is prevalent in its use across the globe by governments, militaries, corporations, cryptographers, and private citizens. It is so widely adopted because a "brute force" attack requires computers that do not yet exist to run for trillions upon trillions of years, consuming more energy than the human race is capable of producing and making all classes of computational attacks probabilistically impossible for the foreseeable centuries to come. While no one can predict what technological advances the future will bring, cryptographers for the world's governments, corporations, and militaries are sleeping soundly with their choice of AES. There is broad agreement among security experts that the easiest means to crack strong encryption is to either steal the passkey, or to guess a passkey that was conjured up using popular and more easily guessable passphrases. We recommend choosing an unusual passphrase that uses lower case, upper case, symbols, and randomization that only makes sense to you for your DNALocker. There are more obscure encryption methodologies we could have used, but we think ubiquity is also a great feature of AES since there are literally thousands of techies who know how to use AES and ample documentation to learn about it. This means that far into the future, whomever you wish to 'open' your DNALocker will very likely be able to easily find skilled professionals to perform the decryption if they can’t themselves.

What about your website? Can't it be hacked?

1024-bit RSA SSL encryption protects your data from electronic and physical attacks while transmitting to and from our site. We do NOT store your data in any way other than placing it on a decentralized storage platform. After your data is encrypted using your passphrase and placed anonymously on the DSP, you will receive your file’s address as a DNALocker ID, and we delete any trace of your files. Your encrypted DNA data remains confidential, anonymous, and secure. Our backend services rely on both Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud, which are the leading, most secure platforms for applications such as DNALocker.