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Walk-By DNA Testing
Scott_Marks writes "The New York Times today has an article on a newly-patented device which may make it practical to perform DNA testing (or drug testing, or explosives testing) on anyone walking underneath. This "portal" sucks up some of the millions of skin flakes each of us sheds each day and whips them into your choice of privacy-invading analysis equipment "for detecting the presence of molecules of interest"."
Not that these are actually in use yet, but I can see it someday if we keep going down this path. It seems like we in the U.S. keep giving up more and more of our personal liberties to have a sense of "safety." Americans are whipped into frenzy by the focus of local TV news on sensationalistic crime reporting. Americans believe they are under seige from gun-toting, crack-smoking gangbangers.
There is a real, everyday, easy to do, practical thing you can do: Remind everyone you know that violent crime is at a twenty-year low in this country. Most of you have probably heard this, but you'd be surprised at how often it shocks people you meet. Here's a CNN.com article to link to. (I'm sure there are better ones, but I can't find 'em right now. Or point 'em to the FBI's Universal Crime Reports. Really. Do it.---
DO NOT DISTURB THE SE
(just a lazy man, not a Coward) It's a drip-by-drip process. Americans are, through inattention and carelessness, creating a hellish future, from our current standards. The Drug War is the opening crack for the removal of out civil liberties. And we are doing it to ourselves. Not the Guvmint. Our children submit to testing and searches in schools; and as they become adults they will accept even more restrictions in the name of "safety". The communist menace was the pretext in the last half of the 20th, and drugs and "terrorism" are the excuses of the new century. The interesting thing is, there are no incidents of terrorism in the US to justify the latter. It's all man-on-horseback populism. We are giving up our freedom from search and seizure based on a *perception* of danger, in a time when we are the safest, richest, and best fed people that have ever lived, bar none. It's astounding to me, to realize that the most freakishly fearful people I know are in the safest Burbclaves around Chicago. Oh, and the Drug War... don't seem to recall a country call Drugs. Who is the enemy? Why, it's... US! We've schizophrenically declared war on ourselves, because we ran out of real enemies for all those warriors to fight. South and Central America is turning into a cartelocracy, a war zone, because half of our population likes various narcotics and the other half wants to kill or imprison the other half. Based on non-existent evidence, we have declared the drugs more dangerous than cars, cigarettes, or war. Contrary conclusions are discarded without examination. And because of this insanity, we are going to have cameras everywhere, DNA scanners, uberdatabases, drug testing on demand, and abuse, abuse, abuse. It will happen slowly, too slowly for those not watching to notice. Why am I so negative? Because I've been watching for over 30 years, and it is happening, and I don't see anything stopping it. I can't get a job without chemical testing. You can bet DNA testing will be required someday to weed out insurance risks. Police can stop vehicles at random to find drug offenders. It will only get more intrusive. If you are fighting a war, then you have to fight it all out, no? Why compromise? Especially if you can't possibly win. The Forever War... Even if, optimistically, the cross reffing of DNA db's to other db's is banned, corporate entities will use legal tricks to escape prosecution. They are extranational now, anyway. And the coming admin will be even more disposed to give them what the want, legally (as hard as that may seem) than the current one. Government? Dudes and dudettes, that's not the big problem! Corporations using DNA testing (not to mention morals testing, drug testing, hell, ideology testing) can take away your ability to *work*. Well, not all of them, but enough to make a big problem. That is far away more frightening. Example: a bank could refuse to give you loans based on your projected longevity or susceptiblity to diseases. No house, no car. This ain't a joke. We may not be able to stop it, but we can observe and chronicle it; I'm beginning to think that's all we can do. In the meantime, just live your lives, smile, be happy, and never forget to watch what's happening and comment about it.
As with all scientific advances, this throws up a whole load of interesting situations...
Depending on how sensitive and correct this device is, I can see some being installed in London, UK. Mention "terrorist" in England and you get some pretty draconian legal powers (such as extended questioning periods etc) to use and abuse.
So these are set up at airports... "To trap the terrorists"
Then set up at train stations... "To trap the terrorists"
Then set up at tube stations... "To trap the terrorists"
Before you know it, the terrorist threat has disappeared. Do they remove these machines? Hell, no lets have them sniff for drugs/homosexuality/Linux!
Think I'm paranoid? Then on my way to work, how come I drive through 3 manned police CCTV cameras left over from the "anti terrorist" Ring of Steel?
Strong data typing is for those with weak minds.
Strong data typing is for those with weak minds.
This is precisely what is described by "Illegal search" (and maybe even seizure, as they are effectively taking pieces of you as you walk by). In a perfect world, I doubt this would stand up in court, as the "due process" required has to be done on an individual basis, not on a broad scope of mostly innocent people.
What kind of people use their engineering talent to make such things? I would refuse. People do not see the long term cyclical nature of government. Everyone should take an Ancient Western Civilization class. Watch how the ancient civilizations grew, became strong, then became oppresive, then were overthrown for the greater good of humanity. This stuff will only prolong the suffering of humanity when the current civilization's time has come, making it difficult for the cycle to advance to the next level. Instead we end up in a totalitarian, invasive sitiuation.
Don't forget the children who have to live in this world we create...
They tried a primitive version of this sort of thing in Vietnam, using chemical and vibration sensors on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The sensors were defeated by hanging buckets of urine next to chemical ones and driving cattle past the vibration ones. Methods of jamming modern versions are left as an excersize for the student.
/.
/. If the government wants us to respect the law, it should set a better example.
You americans have an opportunity to make a real stand here, and it will solve the problem of people spying on your DNA - simply BAN the cross referencing of a DNA database with public info, like for instance, your social security number. If your DNA cannot be used to identify you, this won't be a problem from the standpoint of raw information collection for marketting purposes (although might be valid statistically, for instance, all the caffiene molecules being secreted through the pores of coders in the development building.. heh heh)
As for explosives testing.. the american people need to vote on what they want more: Freedom or safety. You can be perfectly safe, more or less, but you'll be living in a police state. But, this is something the country will decide, personally, I'd rather live in a rural setting where the man doesn't have as many rights to get on my land.
The drug issue is worse though, and it's why I'll never move to the US. What if I toss a couple grams of an illicit substance in your car and then call the cops? What if I sprinkle you with coke in an elevator? The shit will hit the fan, and with the way the US drug laws work currently, your life is over and you very well might lose your car, if I phrase my "anonymous tip" correctly.
Something to think about..
..don't panic