Occasionally Family Tree DNA receives a question as to whether the DNA tests offered by FTDNA are the same tests that are used by law enforcement agencies to determine if a suspect's DNA matches the DNA left at the crime scene.

The answer is NO!  The FTDNA genetic genealogy DNA tests are different than the tests used by law enforcement, and the objectives of these tests are quite different than the objectives of the DNA testing for law enforcement.

The objective of DNA testing for law enforcement is to have a DNA result that is unique to an individual.  For this reason, the DNA tests for law enforcement focus on testing autosomal DNA, which is the DNA as a result of the recombination process at conception, and contains DNA passed on from both your mother and father.

The objective of DNA testing for genealogy is to test locations that are "not" unique to an individual.  The DNA locations tested by Family Tree DNA are either on the Y-chromosome, or they are for mtDNA.  The male Y-chromosome is passed down from father to son, generation after generation, virtually unchanged.  If several males were tested who had a common male ancestor, their Y chromosome genetic genealogy test results would match exactly or be a very close match.

Therefore, the genetic genealogy type of DNA test does not identify an individual, but rather a lineage.  The mtDNA tests provided by Family Tree DNA also do not identify an individual.  mtDNA is passed from mothers to both their sons and daughters.

Only daughters pass on mtDNA.  Since all those who share a common female ancestor would have the same result, it is clear why mtDNA test from Family Tree DNA would not identify an individual.

The objectives of DNA testing for law enforcement and DNA testing for genealogy are at opposite ends of the spectrum.  The objective of genetic genealogy is to find all those who match, and therefore had a common ancestor.  The objective of DNA testing for law enforcement is to identify a unique individual.

P.S.  Medical insurance concerns about your genetic genealogy test results are not a concern either.  See GINA.