Overview: Some 30 million Americans have sent their DNA to be analyzed by companies like 23andMe and AncestryDNA, hoping to obtain clues to family origins and forecasts of their future health.

Some users have found family members and discovered lurking genetic risks. But what happens once the sample is in the hands of testing companies?

DVD Verdict: What are they looking at and how accurate are their results? NOVA explores the power of this information and the unintended consequences that can arise from sharing our data with these rapidly growing online databases.

DNA results that report on health risks can be misleading, and the discovery of intimate family secrets can tear relationships apart. Meanwhile, law enforcement is increasingly turning to the DNA-sharing website GEDmatch as an extraordinarily powerful tool for cracking cold cases, as demonstrated by the 2018 arrest of California’s notorious Golden State Killer after 42 years at large.

But what is the peril and promise of consumer DNA testing?

Well, as we learn, and as primarily aforementioned, for the most part, Genetics testing companies, like Veritas Genetics, Ancestry and 23andMe, are providing consumers with an unprecedented level of access to their personal genome.

Also, to be honest, privacy risks are not well understood by consumers and, of course, law enforcement and the federal government can pressure these companies to share your DNA.

The business of personal genetic-testing kits is booming, with consumers able to learn about their ancestry and health risks at the cost of just $99 to a few hundred dollars. So the question asked here is Should you be afraid?

Some individuals worry they will discover things about their DNA that will be frightening — namely, the risks they run of contracting various diseases — and not know how to move forward with the information.

Professional scientific skeptics contend the information may not even be as accurate as claimed, and lead people to make questionable health decisions. But there’s another type of risk that consumers aren’t focusing on as much, and it’s a big one: privacy.

There is nothing more private than your personal genetic information, and sending away for a personal genome kit means sharing your DNA with the testing companies. What do they do with it, beyond providing consumers with genetic and health assessments?

That’s a question consumers need to weigh as they consider genome testing.

Companies in this space, including 23andMe, Veritas Genetics and Ancestry, have a good reason to protect your DNA — their business future depends on maintaining the trust of consumers.

But there are thorny issues related to genetic privacy that still today don’t have easy answers or iron-clad legislative protections. And regulators aren’t convinced they are doing right by consumers.

A recent Fast Company report indicates that 23andMe and Ancestry are being investigated by the Federal Trade Commission over their policies for handling personal info and genetic data and how they share that info with third parties.

“The key thing about your genetic data ... it is uniquely yours. It identifies you, so if you are going to entrust it to a company, you should try to understand what the consequences are,” says Jennifer King, director of consumer privacy at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, whose research on the issue and interviews with individuals shows a lack of consumer knowledge.

Fascinating from start to finish and providing, at the very least, some answers as to who may profit on your DNA, 'NOVA: Secrets in Our DNA' is amust watch for those thinking of sending in their DNA. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.78:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.