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Design

Erase Your DNA And Become Invisible With Genetics-Obscuring Spray

Are you afraid of genetic crime? Well, Biogenfuture has create an antiDNA cleaning product. Literally.

Do you fear a future where bio-crime is as commonplace as petty left? Have you ever had touched a glass in a seedy bar and wondered if there'd be a day when your fingerprint could be used for no good? Have you ever thought, Yeah, I'm paranoid, BUT AM I PARANOID ENOUGH? After all, you wouldn't leave your medical records on the subway for just anyone to read, right?

Well now there's a product for those who want their genetic information 100% secure and incorruptable. Enter: Invisible, a product by Biogenfutures that is an antiDNA cleaning product. Literally.

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Invisible includes a suit of two products that can be used like a disinfectant spray—"Erase" removes 99.5% of DNA material on any surface while "Replace" obfuscates the remaining .5% through a cloaking mist of arbitrary genetic gunk. "Instead of subjecting their own DNA to covert analysis, Invisible customers can leave an alternate DNA sample, designed for their protection," writes the Invisible website.

Though it all sounds like a sci-fi conceptual art project, we're pretty certain this isn't a ploy. For one thing, it was created by Heather Dewey-Hagborg, known for her Stranger Visions project where she picked up stray hairs, finger nails, and other genetic material found in public places and used the DNA contained to construct speculative portraits of what the "anonymous shedders" might look like based on their genetic profiles. Secondly, though Invisible's website incorporates plenty of fear mongering, it also includes a litany of peer-refereed sources about synthesized DNA and genetic crime that are convincing enough to make any skeptic realize that faking DNA or stealing others' is not an impossibility. Either way, if the ratings of CSI are any indication, we're sure this will some market value.

It's tough to fully believe this is a product that will eventually be sold in your average Duane Reade. Yet Invisible is persistent in its seriousness. From its press release: "DNA is routinely extracted and often stored from infants at birth…and law enforcement now routinely profiles individuals convicted of even petty crimes, tending toward permanent storage of both profiles and biological samples form individuals arrested for but never convicted of a crime." It also includes statistics such as that it only takes .5 nanograms of DNA required for standard forensic analysis, and that there is 108 nanograms of DNA in a microliter of saliva. Even if the risk of genetic theft isn't a real concern (yet), we're definitely leaving identifying material all over the place.

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"It should be a choice how you share your information and with whom," says Invisible. "Be it about your genes, your email, or your phone calls." The press release adds "In five years time, I expect genetic privacy products will be as commonplace as hand sanitzer." As more and more smart products offer users the chance to pay for things using fingerprints and other DNA, maybe Invisible is exactly what the forensics doctor ordered.

Related:

Artist Collects And Analyzes DNA Samples To Create 3D Portraits In "Stranger Visions"

Pass On The Snacks, A DNA Vending Machine Now Exists

How To Be Anonymous In The Age Of DNA Surveillance

@zachsokol