That means no matter how hard we strive to keep our genetic code private, we’re always vulnerable to other parties’ secretly testing samples of our DNA. And the cheaper it gets to actually test DNA samples, the more tempting it will be for various parties to do so. By the time we all have access to portable DNA readers that can provide instant readings, we may find ourselves in a situation in which almost anyone can read anyone else’s genetic profile—including information about ethnic ancestry, mutations, disease proclivities, and whatever else we may learn about the human genome. We could see scenarios such as:

Everyone from schoolchildren to dating couples to nosy neighbors routinely checking out each other’s profiles.