  Progress in genomics has enabled the emergence of a booming market for
"direct-to-consumer" genetic testing. Nowadays, companies like 23andMe and
AncestryDNA provide affordable health, genealogy, and ancestry reports, and
have already tested tens of millions of customers. At the same time, alt- and
far-right groups have also taken an interest in genetic testing, using them to
attack minorities and prove their genetic "purity." In this paper, we present a
measurement study shedding light on how genetic testing is being discussed on
Web communities in Reddit and 4chan. We collect 1.3M comments posted over 27
months on the two platforms, using a set of 280 keywords related to genetic
testing. We then use NLP and computer vision tools to identify trends, themes,
and topics of discussion.
  Our analysis shows that genetic testing attracts a lot of attention on Reddit
and 4chan, with discussions often including highly toxic language expressed
through hateful, racist, and misogynistic comments. In particular, on 4chan's
politically incorrect board (/pol/), content from genetic testing conversations
involves several alt-right personalities and openly antisemitic rhetoric, often
conveyed through memes. Finally, we find that discussions build around user
groups, from technology enthusiasts to communities promoting fringe political
views.
