The DNA Relatives feature is a popular, interactive 23andMe feature that allows you to find and connect with genetic relatives who are also 23andMe users participating in this feature, and to learn more about your family story. This feature is optional; other 23andMe users will not be able to see you as a genetic match unless you opt in to the feature. Likewise, you will not be able to view your genetic matches in DNA Relatives unless you consent to participate.
The DNA Relatives feature has multiple privacy options to suit your individual preferences. For complete privacy, you can opt out of DNA Relatives entirely. For the most visibility, you can choose to show your ancestry results.
You can update any of these settings at any time from the “Manage Preferences” link in DNA Relatives and in your Account Settings under the the Privacy/Sharing section.
Participation in DNA Relatives
If you choose to opt in and participate in DNA Relatives, all of your matches will be able to view the following information about you:
Your profile sex (Male/Female)
Your profile picture
Your predicted relationship
The percent DNA and number of segments you share, but not the location of those segments
Additionally, any family information you enter into your DNA Relatives profile, such as surnames or family locations, will be shown when a match clicks on your entry.
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.
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 at any time.