Which issue concerns privacy and protection of genetic information?

• A. The taste of GM foods.
• B. The alignments of plant stems.
• C. The color of seeds.
• D. Ownership and privacy of genetic information.

Answer: (D)

Ownership and privacy of genetic information deals with who owns genetic data, who may access it, and how it’s stored and shared. In practice, this covers consent to use data, data security, and rights to commercial use or licensing of genetic material and genotype information from breeding programs. This topic matters in agriculture because breeding lines, DNA sequences, and germplasm are valuable proprietary information, and improper disclosure or misuse can have ethical and economic consequences. The other options describe physical traits or sensory characteristics (taste, stem structure, seed color) and don’t involve data privacy or control.