About: Privacy – Beverage Genetics

About: Privacy

We share concerns regarding our most precious data set - DNA. We respect that the genetic samples that are processed are of medical quality, and can be used to make far reaching conclusions. That being said, we hope to lead the change of companies who are seen as transparent and collaborative with customers first. This goal manifests itself in the below principles.
Privacy Principles:
  • You are in complete control of all your personal information. 
  • We will make reasonable efforts to inform you of our process, and ask your permission during the process. 
  • We do not store biological samples in either raw or processed forms. 
  • We destroy all biological samples as soon as results are generated. 
  • We do not save genetic information in its raw form. 
  • We do not sell samples or raw genetic information. We will not share any information. 
  • Our labs are blinded to your personal information by a barcode. 
  • We will inform you if any of this changes. 
  • More FAQ on our Privacy Policy, and Genetic and Personal information laws. 

 Additional steps you can take to safeguard your genetic information: 

  1. Use a Pseudonym and / or an anonymous email address. This can help protect you if there is a data breach. Remember, we are not selling your personal information. We collect just enough information to ensure you get the best coffee. That's it. We don't look at or collect anything else, and if we do, we'll always ask your permission to do so then stick to the principles above. We recommend Protonmail as it's encrypted. 
  2. Use an alternative physical address. We're shipping coffee, so if you're concerned with connections to your physical location, please use an address that is not directly linked with you. Post Office (PO) boxes are a good alternative, although some carriers don't ship to them, and it may take longer to get there.
  3. Use a VPN to access sensitive information. We recommend this with caution as there have been examples of breaches. 
  4. Purchase using a pre-paid debit card. 
  5. Ask the tough questions. Reach out to our contact page and bring us into the conversation. We are likely more concerned about this than you think, and are willing to go to extraordinary means to ensure comfort throughout this process. 
  6. Don't bother? Honestly - if you've made it this far and are still very  concerned, then don't engage in any activity and seek professional security advice. We respect your decision.  We simply want to inform our community of the risks and rewards to engaging with us and our partners. We want to build an informed community that is eager to learn and communicate. 

Are there principles that are missing? Please let us know at the "Contact Us" page.