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Federal Agencies To Collect Genetic Info

Posted by Zonk on from the like-collecting-stamps-only-rude dept.

protagoras writes "According to a bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee, suspects arrested or detained by federal authorities may have their DNA forcibly collected for permanent storage in a central database. The bill is supported by the White House as well, but has not yet gone to the floor for a vote. Current law permits this only for those convicted of a crime. So even though completely innocent, should the Feds decide to detain you for any reason, your genetic data will grace their database beside that from murders, terrorists, and other miscreants." From the article: "The provision, co-sponsored by Kyl and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), does not require the government to automatically remove the DNA data of people who are never convicted. Instead, those arrested or detained would have to petition to have their information removed from the database after their cases were resolved. Privacy advocates are especially concerned about possible abuses such as profiling based on genetic characteristics."

10 of 428 comments (clear)

  1. At it again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Republicans at it again, always touting "smaller government" while doing the exact opposite...

    pathetic...

    Cheers,
    J

    1. Re:At it again by jonfelder · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The current government is -not- Republican. Just so you know, I'm not either.

      They are neo-cons. Republican's are traditionally small government, and pro states rights. The current administration is anything but. There are many true republicans out there that dislike the current government just as much as liberals do.

    2. Re:At it again by van+der+Rohe · · Score: 5, Informative

      Parent is correct in principle, of course. But it's important to understand that the Republican notions of "smaller government" and "freedom" only have to do with government's relationship with BUSINESS, not with individuals.

      "Smaller government" means "less market intervention" and "freedom" only refers to freedom to earn.

      Someone's going to mark this as flamebait or troll, but it's not a value judgement. It's just the way things are. In fact, once this is clear you realize that there's nothing contradictory or hypocritical about the Right's message at all.

  2. Ha! by ScrewMaster · · Score: 5, Funny

    To all those ostrich-human hybrids who have ever said, "But ... this is America, it could never happen here!" I say, "PHOOEY!"

    Gattaca, here we come.

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  3. This is especially troubling... by null+etc. · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...because of the FBI's recently-announced task force to crack down on "deviant" porn on the Internet. Should you be detained or arrested for such a crime, even if not found guilty, your DNA would be tied on-file to the sexual preferences which caused you to get busted.

  4. Anti-conservative Republicans. by CyricZ · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Indeed, this further shows how anti-conservative the Republican Party has become. True conservatives would never support legislation that intrudes so terribly into the lives of innocent citizens. It's against the very ideals that a real conservative holds.

    --
    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
    1. Re:Anti-conservative Republicans. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's ok this will get overturned. Religious conservatives do not believe in the existance of DNA, or microbes, for that matter.

  5. That will help in rounding up the Jews by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful


    Imagine if Hitler had this capability, now substitute the word "Jews" for any other ethnic minority/oppressed/handicapped people and see how chilling a database like this could be used, but we all know that Hitler and his ideas was just a one off and those kinds of ideas couldnt happen here right ?, right ?

    where exactly is America heading ?

  6. Its eugenics back again... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Check out this URL for some of the history of genetic and racial classification in America. This data is the health insurance companies wet dream. They want to be able to deny coverage based on your genetis background. So, for example, if you had an uncle who got cancer, or a parent who had a predisposition to a disease, you could become unemployable..

    See http://waragainsttheweak.com/articles.php, especially the article in Reform Judaism about this 'new kind of selection'.

    This is the real reason behind the big push for medical IT, and its vert scary.

    For profit health insurance and medical IT are not compatible..

  7. Great by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If 1,000,000 different agencies each want a 100 mg sample from me, what does that leave me with?