GEDmatch
Definition
A consumer genealogy database founded in 2010, used in the Golden State Killer investigation. Changed from opt-out to opt-in for law-enforcement access in May 2019 following public backlash. Acquired by Verogen in 2019 and subsequently by QIAGEN in 2023.
- Founded
- 2010
- Major use case
- Golden State Killer investigation (2018)
- Current owner
- QIAGEN (via Verogen, acquired 2023)
- Law enforcement policy change
- May 2019: switched from opt-out to opt-in
Common questions
What is GEDmatch used for in forensic investigations?+
GEDmatch is a genealogy database where forensic investigators can upload crime-scene DNA profiles to search against consumer ancestry kit results. It became famous for solving the Golden State Killer case in 2018, where the suspect's DNA was matched through a relative who had uploaded their ancestry results.
Can law enforcement access GEDmatch without permission?+
Law enforcement access changed in May 2019. GEDmatch switched from opt-out (automatic law-enforcement access) to opt-in (users must consent). This means investigators now need to request permission unless a user has explicitly allowed forensic searches on their profile.
Who owns GEDmatch today?+
GEDmatch was founded in 2010 and acquired by Verogen in 2019. Verogen was subsequently acquired by QIAGEN in 2023, making QIAGEN the current parent company.
Related terms
- Aadhaar
- India's national biometric identity programme, administered by UIDAI. Links a 12-digit UID to 10 fingerprints, iris scans, and a facial photograph for...
- Barbara Rae-Venter
- The genetic genealogist who led the family-tree reconstruction in the Golden State Killer investigation. Previously used the same technique to identify an...
- BIPA
- Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (740 ILCS 14, 2008). Requires informed written consent before collecting biometric identifiers and prohibits their sale. The...
- Centimorgans (cM)
- The unit of genetic map distance used to measure shared DNA between individuals. A first-degree relative shares approximately 2,550 cM; a third...
- Clearview AI
- New York company that built a face-recognition database of approximately 30 billion images scraped from public websites without consent; subject to BIPA...
- CODIS
- The FBI's Combined DNA Index System, the US national STR-based forensic DNA database. Contains profiles from convicted offenders, arrestees, and unidentified crime-scene...
- ForenSeq Kintelligence
- A Verogen (formerly Illumina) forensic SNP genotyping kit targeting approximately 10,000 kinship-informative SNPs, designed to generate profiles compatible with consumer genealogy databases...
- GDPR Article 9
- The EU General Data Protection Regulation provision classifying biometric data used for unique identification as a special category requiring explicit consent or...
- Genetic Genealogist
- A specialist who combines DNA match data with traditional genealogical record research to reconstruct family trees. In forensic IGG casework, the genetic...
- Investigative Genealogy
- A technique that searches consumer ancestry DNA databases using crime-scene SNP profiles to identify candidate relatives of an unknown contributor, then uses...
- Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG)
- A forensic identification technique that uploads a crime-scene DNA profile to a consumer genealogy database, identifies partial matches suggesting distant family relationships,...
- Liveness Detection
- A biometric system component that distinguishes a live biological sample from an artefact-based spoof. Methods include blood-flow detection, ridge flexibility measurement, and...
Explained in these topics
- DTC Genealogy: The Golden State Killer Paradigm and GEDmatch PolicyA consumer genealogy database founded in 2010, used in the Golden State Killer investigation. Changed from opt-out to opt-in for law-enforcement access in May...
- Major Biometric Casework: Golden State Killer and Clearview AIA publicly accessible genealogy database allowing users to upload consumer ancestry DNA kit results for comparison. Used in the Golden State Killer investigati...