Ancestry.com Tells Genetic Affairs to “Cease and Desist”
Just over 2 years ago, I developed the Leeds Method, which easily organizes your DNA matches into visual clusters usually based on shared ancestral lines. Using that method as a basis, several programmers created automated tools that could cluster our matches faster than my manual method.
AutoCluster by Genetic Affairs
Of these tools, the one I’ve used and talked about the most about was AutoCluster by Genetic Affairs. Also, more than 95% of the time I ran AutoCluster it was on Ancestry.com – whether I was working on my own brick walls or helping others identify biological parents. But, sadly, that era has come to an end. A few days ago, Genetic Affairs received a “cease and desist” letter from Ancestry.
Thank you, EJ!
I first want to say a big “thank you” to Evert-Jan “EJ” Blom for all of the work he has done with Genetic Affairs. His tools have helped – and will continue to help – thousands of people. Although I am hopeful that Ancestry.com might come to some agreement with Genetic Affairs in the future, for now the AutoCluster tool is still available to run on 23andMe and FTDNA. It also works as a built-in tool on MyHeritage, and as a paid, Tier 1 tool on GEDmatch. So, the only place you cannot run an AutoCluster at this time is on Ancestry.
Alternatives?
Since we can’t use Genetic Affairs’s AutoCluster on Ancestry.com, what can we use?
UPDATED: You can continue to use the original, manual Leeds Method! (start here) Ancestry.com has sent out more “Cease and Desist” letters, so using my manual method is possibly your only option right now. And, it’s a great option!
Completely baffled as to why they would do this. Very unfortunate. Thank you for posting alternatives, and maybe someday Ancestry will have their own tool, which would…make more sense if they did in the first place considering this…
Is there a copy of the order posted anywhere? Just curious as to their reasoning and complaint.
If you are on Facebook, you can stay up to date with the group “Genetic Affairs – User Group.” I can’t find it right now, but I thought he posted what the letter said. Anyway, there has been more discussion and he posted additional updates today.
Becky Walker has also posted that GenomeMate Pro has also had a cease and desist order and Ancestry data Can no longer be used with that program. My question is that if our DNA raw data belongs to the tester, surely testers can use it anywhere they like and in whatever program they like to enhance the data?
You can use your own raw data. For instance, you can download your raw data and upload it to other sites such as FTDNA, MyHeritage, and GEDmatch.
Thanks for the support and the inspiration Dana! Let’s cherish the memories of our excellent Ancestry clusters (and reconstructed AutoTrees). Hopefully, Ancestry (and others?) will work together with Genetic Affairs in the future.
Absolutely, EJ!
The money we paid from the start and continue to pay, we should receive easy, automated and trustworthy results to all matches. The purpose for which the process was developed and not have road blocks, deleted DNA Circles, altered programs at the demand of certain influential people to hide the truth all over again. What was done is done and can not be changed! It’s a two way connection. First connection, each person that provided their DNA has the right to know the truth of their existence. Second connection, each person has the right to accept or deny any contact.