In a historic first, NSW police have used Forensic Investigative Genetic Genealogy, or FIGG, to identify and arrest a 77-year-old man over alleged sexual assaults dating back to 1991. It’s a watershed moment for Australian forensic science. But how exactly does it work?
In this bonus episode of The Briefing, we're sharing the first part of Secrets We Keep: Should I Spit?. In the series, journalist Claire Aird unpacks the science behind FIGG -- where investigators compare crime scene DNA to profiles uploaded to public genealogy databases like Ancestry and 23andMe, then painstakingly build out family trees to narrow in on a suspect.
It sounds revolutionary...But it’s also deeply controversial.
From privacy concerns and consent issues to wrongful accusations, this episode explores the risks, the ethical grey zones, and the global debate over whether our most personal data - our DNA - is ever truly anonymous.
Listen to episode 2 of Secrets We Keep: Should I Spit?
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