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A DNA Database For All U.S. Workers?

fragmer writes "New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested a plan on Wednesday that would establish a DNA or fingerprint database to track and verify all legal U.S. workers. The mayor said DNA and fingerprint technology could be used to create a worker ID database that will 'uniquely identify the person' applying for a job, ensuring that cards are not illegally transferred or forged. Bloomberg compared his proposed federal identification database to the Social Security card, insisting that such a system would not violate citizens' privacy and was not a civil liberties issue."

4 of 625 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Privacy Violation by everett · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Simple solution, copyright your DNA sequence and then sue anyone that obtains it illegally for copyright infringement, since this is America you will win.

    --
    Sig withheld to protect the innocent.
  2. Re:Social Security? by jcr · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Not only that, the census bureau routinely promises that census data will not be used for any illegal purpose, and they even lie about the fact that it was used in the 1940s to round up american citizens of Japanese ancestry to ship them to concentration camps.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  3. Re:And the Star of David... by ultranova · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And I wish that people would remember that Government works for us and we give them their power.

    No. The monopoly on violence the government holds gives it power. Specifically, the backing of armed forces - US Army - is what gives the US Government its power. You have power over it only when you have a real chance of overthrowing it; at that point the government might listen out of self-preservation. Democracy was supposed to ensure that the public always has this power, and can use it in a bloodless manner, but it's working less and less well.

    I don't know if there's a solution. As soon as humans band together into large enough groups you need government to keep them from killing each other; but since that government needs to hold near-total monopoly on violence to accomplish this and is made from human beings it will inevitably end up abusing its power. Any attempt to stop this process only slows it down; and even if you stop the actual government from growing out of control, it simply provides a power vacuum for aristocracy or corporations / robber parons to do it instead.

    Maybe it's the nature of human race that we must have revolutions every few generations to keep things working.

    Too many folks act like they're subjects of the Government.

    The correct term, I believe, is consumer.

    --

    Forget magic. Any technology distinguishable from divine power is insufficiently advanced.

  4. Re:Oh Orwell by voice_of_all_reason · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Actually, power lies with guns (as it always has), whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive that it is the Duty of the People to alter or abolish it.