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Human Rights Court Calls UK DNA Database a 'Breach of Rights'

Posted by timothy on from the could-have-saved-them-some-time dept.

psmears writes "Describing a judgment that is likely to rein in the scope of the UK DNA database, where at present the DNA of those arrested by the police is kept permanently (even if the people concerned are never convicted, or even charged), the BBC reports that the European Court of Human Rights has ruled that keeping such people's DNA in the database 'could not be regarded as necessary in a democratic society.'" Reader megla adds a link to the full text of the judgement.

1 of 206 comments (clear)

  1. I tried so hard to think up an insightful comment by Xest · · Score: 5, Informative

    I really did, I tried so hard to think up an insightful comment in response to this story but all that I could do was sit giggling to myself at how upset Jacqui Smith is over this and how she aint gonna sleep well tonight.

    For those that don't know, Jacqui Smith has been involved in or is responsible for:
    - UK ID card scheme where every citizen has a biometric ID card
    - A national database of every single child's details
    - 42 days of detention without trial for terror suspects
    - This very DNA database of even innocent people
    - Plans for a scheme to store all telephone call, text message and e-mail records
    - Massive nationwide CCTV surveillance programs
    - Silencing of political opponents by using heavy police force
    - Allowing local councils to use terrorist laws to spy on citizens to catch them for such offences as trying to get their kids into a specific school outside their catchment area or letting their dog foul in a public place
    - Creating a scheme for newspapers to put up wanted posters from CCTV images of people dropping litter

    There are plenty more but simply too many for me to remember all of them right now. This woman is evil and must be stopped, period. We can't put the blame on just her however because people like Gordon Brown have the power to stop her but aren't and opposition parties could be far, far more vocal about how evil this woman actually is and yet they're not.

    I'm pretty sure the lives of our grandparents here in the UK and the rest of the world weren't given on the beaches of Normandy, the fields of France and other places so that it would eventually be our own government that would rise up against us and begin to enforce the same level of dictatorship as seen in the many facist nations during World War II. The very fact Jacqui Smith is pushing for this kind of regime should make it the responsibility of everyone with the power to make a noise- politicians, media and so forth to stand up and refuse to accept this. It is the complacency and ignorance amongst the average joe on the street towards this type of thing that makes me understand now how over time evil totalitarian regimes can arise.

    I do not believe Britain will every reach the point Jacqui Smith is hoping thanks to the EU injecting at least a little bit of common sense into the situation as per this article but the very fact that she has been allowed to get this far is simply unacceptable in a modern, free society.