Second, even if the database were accessed improperly, there's nothing in it other than those 13 DNA markers.

CNN: If DNA collecting banned, rapists will go free

The test system includes the six DNA markers previously used in a test for eye colour known as Irisplex, combining them with predictive markers for hair.

BBC: Forensic test can predict hair and eye colour from DNA

"We identified 13 'DNA markers' from 11 genes that are informative to predict a person's hair colour, " said Professor Kayser, chair of the Department of Forensic Molecular Biology at Erasmus.

BBC: Hair colour predicted from genes

What they do instead is scan your DNA for markers associated with specific diseases. 23andMe tracks 58 diseases and conditions, deCode offers 26, and Navigenics 18.

ECONOMIST: Peering into your medical future is risky

As a first step, the scientists examined half a million genetic markers in the participants' DNA. These markers, known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, can together reveal how genetically similar people are, even though they are not conventionally related.

WSJ: Intelligence Changes Linked to Genes