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Privacy Fears Over UK DNA database

Posted by michael on from the stunning-realization dept.

jukal writes "An article at BBC about the UK's DNA database as a privacy threat. 'More than 1.5 million DNA profiles are now held on the £187m National DNA Database and the target is to have about three million profiles stored by April 2004. '... this has alarmed the inventor of DNA fingerprinting (Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys), who has now 'launched an outspoken attack on the way the genetic profiles of suspects in the UK who have been cleared of any crime are still stored by the authorities'."

12 of 23 comments (clear)

  1. geneaology by crow · · Score: 2

    This could be interesting for genealogy research. You could track down relatives. This would be of special interest to those who were adopted. It could also be used to see how often children really are the offspring of their alleged parents--that could have interesting implications.

  2. Sounds like nuclear physicists... by 0x0d0a · · Score: 2

    ...after the Manhattan project, a few of the physicists involved were kind of horrified with how much potential damage the world was looking at and became nuclear weapon opponents.

    Forget which ones, though. Anyone remember names?

    --
    May we never see th
    1. Re:Sounds like nuclear physicists... by dotslash · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Supposedly, Einstein said after the first tests, when he saw the destructive power of the bomb: "The only things infinite are the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe".

      The key difference is, of course, that they were building a bomb with no possible "peaceful uses", whereas this guy was building a tools that could have many different positive uses.

    2. Re:Sounds like nuclear physicists... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
      ...after the Manhattan project, a few of the physicists involved were kind of horrified with how much potential damage the world was looking at and became nuclear weapon opponents.
      For world-beating physicists, they really were retarded in this respect. "Ok, so, our mission is to build a bomb more powerful and more destructive than any other, to kill large numbers of people." wait a few years "OMG! We've built a bomb more powerful and more destructive than any other, and it may kill large numbers of people! How horrific!"
    3. Re:Sounds like nuclear physicists... by geoswan · · Score: 2
      ...Forget which ones, though. Anyone remember names?

      You are probably thinking of Leo Szilard . Here is another brief biography . Szilard gave up Physics after the war.

      Szilard's circulated a petition a couple of weeks before the bomb was dropped on Japan, urging the President not to drop it on Japanese cities. 69 of his Manhattan project colleagues chose to sign it with him. The link to the petition above lists the co-signers. The only other name I recognized was Eugene Wigner.

      Wigner, Teller and Szilard -- three Hungarian emigres -- went to Einstein to get him to write Roosevelt the letter credited with getting the the Manhattan Project created. I have read that Einstein dictated the letter to his old friend Szilard. I have read that Szilard drafted the letter, and brought it for Einstein's signature.

    4. Re:Sounds like nuclear physicists... by geoswan · · Score: 2
      Leo Szilard , the fellow who first realized the possibility of the "chain reaction" which made possible atomic energy and atomic weapons, tried to organize a moratorium on atomic research prior to the outbreak of war. Szilard was Jewish. He was foresightful, and realized how truly terrible Hitler's rule would be. He fled Germany in 1933, the day after Hitler was elected.

      I imagine he was deeply conflicted. He was a key person in getting the Manhattan project started. Groves, the general in charge, didn't trust Szilard. IIRC Szilard had felt, or hoped, that atomic weapons would be demonstrated first, on uninhabited targets. And that their horrific destructive power would be sufficient to induce surrender.

      It bugs me to have you call him stupid.

      Szilard wrote some science fiction stories to explore the guilt he felt over his participation on the bomb. See particularly "My trial as a War Criminal".

  3. DNA samples by ELCarlsson · · Score: 2, Interesting

    When I joined the military they took a DNA sample from me. It is so that I could be identified if I get seriously f'ed up. But I wonder sometimes if that DNA sample may just be used for other things. Is that sample gonna stay with the military? Will it end up in the police databases?
    I'm no conspiracy theorist but sometimes I do wonder.

  4. Re:Fingerprints? by MutantEnemy · · Score: 2, Informative
    Your fingerprints don't tell tell people how likely you are to develop certain diseases (information that might end up in the hands of Insurance Companies). Worse, it's possible that in the future, DNA might be used to profile people to determine whether they're likely to commit a crime, ie if research shows that certain genes are linked to criminals.

    There are all sorts of implications of DNA storage that don't apply to fingerprints.

    --
    Grr! Arg!
  5. Nope by MutantEnemy · · Score: 2, Insightful
    No. If DNA from the original crime scene is still available, then it should always be possible to check it against the DNA of an alleged suspect (or even a convicted suspect, in the case of an appeal). The database doesn't help in any way.

    --
    Grr! Arg!
  6. Fingerprints are destroyed if not guilty. Not DNA by SomethingOrOther · · Score: 4, Informative

    In the UK, you may have your fingerprints taken if you are arrested, but if found not guilty (or only guilty of a civil offence.... including traffic offences) the fiingerprints are destroyed.

    ie In the UK only convicted criminals have there fingerprints on record

    The natioal DNA database will not desrtoy the DNA samples but keeps them indefinately
    even if you are found not guilty or are only convicted of a civil offence including traffic violations!

    There was a huge uproar a year or so ago when strathclyde police began collecting DNA samples from motorists stoped for minor traffic offences. (Although I belive this practice has now stopped, it is still leagl and the DNA is still held on record)

    Something to think about is often when a serious crime has taken place (rape, murder etc), police will often ask for every man in a large area to submit a DNA sample. Fair enough, many people do in order to catch the bastard resopnsable. However these samples are not destroied but are kept indefinately!

    Call me a member of the tin hat bregade, but in an age of cloaning, I'm fucked if the government is gonna have indefinate access to my DNA, esp if I have never broken a (serious) law.

    Police are also given the authority to extract a DNA sample from you by force if nessisary (shoving a swab in your mouth to collect cheak cells).

    --
    Anyone quoted by a reporter knows how little they understand
    Don't believe what you read is the truth.
  7. A warning by squaretorus · · Score: 2

    When the legislation allowing the taking of 'DNA Fingerprints' was first passed it clearly stated that the police must destroy all records and samples of fingerprints taken in relation to an investigation where the individual was not found guilty.

    i.e. If you didn't do it, they weren't allowed to keep your DNA.

    Well guess what! They kept every last damn sample, and they are now shouting about it as some great thing.

    The media puts forward an impression of DNA being foolproof - its his DNA, he's the bad guy! which massivly over states the likelyhood of a wrong conviction.

    People are regularly convicted and jailed based solely on DNA evidence, even when a weight of counter evidence is presented. This is pretty scary considering that it is more likely you will be mis-identified than win the lottery.

    These samples should be binned.

  8. Re:DNA Database could be used to clear you. by geoswan · · Score: 2
    Couldn't the database even be used to find organ donor matches?

    Yes, maybe a DNA database could be used to find potential donors.

    I am willing to have my organs used, if I die of natural causes, and some of them are still useful. But I would prefer the potential receipients only learned that I was a match after I died. Why can't they do the organ typing after we die?

    Are't there car theives out there who you can you commission to rip off a particular model of car nowadays? You want a well maintained 67 Mustang convertible, like Steve McQueen drove in Bullitt ? They can get it for you.

    "That Ryan Stortz? The kid is a geek. He doesn't drink. Not only is his liver a perfect match for yours, but it is as clean as a baby's butt. Put five grand in my Swiss bank account, and he will have an "accident" before the week is out."